



















CQEffilGHT DEPOSIT- 








Battery Service Manual 


A guide for the battery repairman and shop owner in 
testing, locating troubles, making repairs and charging bat¬ 
teries, with a Trouble Chart in which all known defects are 
listed with the cause of the trouble and proper remedy oppo¬ 
site each. Plans and layouts for battery stations, with com¬ 
plete information on the management of the business, forms, 
order systems, charging rates, etc., are included with a 
glossary of terms and a list of manufacturers of batteries, 
repair parts, tools and equipment for battery service. 

- By Donald D. Blanchard, E. E.- 


U. P. C. BOOK COMPANY, Inc., 243-249 W. 39th St., N. Y. 
















TU> 


21 ^ 


3 55 


Copyrighted, 1920 
By 

U. P. C. Book Company, Inc. 



©CI.A630691 
/M * I 



Preface 

W ITH the greatly increased use of battery types of ignition on cars within the 
past few years, the number of batteries has greatly exceeded the facilities for 
taking care of them. In the early days of the battery, it was a simple enough 
thing to refer the owner to a “battery expert” and let it go at that. With the almost 
universal distribution that the battery has now attained, this is not enough, and every 
garage and repairshop that makes any pretense of performing adjustments and repairs 
must be able to tell what the trouble is and how to fix it. 

A thorough search through the technical books of the day failed to disclose any¬ 
thing that had been written for the battery repairman or the garageman who was 
called upon to perform this kind of service, although there are several good books on 
the manufacture of batteries and the care of the battery from the owner’s viewpoint. 
Motor World accordingly conceived the idea of preparing a series of articles covering 
specifically the locating of trouble, the repair and overhaul of the battery according to 
the most approved practice. 

Donald D. Blanchard, E.E., who prepared this series of articles, is an electrical 
engineer, a graduate of Columbia University. Combining a thorough knowledge of 
electricity with the ability to clearly set down the facts as he found them, Blanchard 
made a thorough inspection of a great number of shops handling batteries and observed 
minutely the methods employed for all the operations from start to finish. The char¬ 
acter of these shops varied widely and included not only the largest Metropolitan bat¬ 
tery service stations maintained by the manufacturers, but garages and smaller shops 
as well, both in the cities and in the smaller towns. In this way, a good idea of the 

3 


problems of the smaller men could be obtained, and efforts were made to particularly 
help this class of repairmen. 

The Trouble Chart, which is an insert in the front of the book, was made only 
after extensive investigation. As a basis of the chart, every manufacturer’s instruc¬ 
tion book was carefully analyzed and the results put on paper. Consultations with 
eminent and long experienced battery repairmen filled out the gaps in this skeleton and 
corrected some misconceptions. The result was a chart which, it is confidently felt, 
lists every trouble which the battery could possibly become subject to and an intelli¬ 
gent and correct diagnosis and a suggested remedy for each. 

There is very little of the theoretical in this series of articles, everything being 
reduced to cold facts. As a textbook for an apprentice to learn how the storage battery 
operates, it would be useless, but the man who knows elementary electricity will find 
the practical methods given of great help. As far as possible the subjects have been 
logically classified in chapters, each of which was originally one article in Motor World. 
The operations are put down in 1, 2, 3 order and all excessive reading matter has been 
eliminated so that the subject is made as short as possible and every sentence counts 
for something. 

As a convenience to the battery repairman, a classified directory has been added to 
the end of the book and also a glossary of terms used in battery repairing. It was 
thought that a specialized directory of this kind would be of great assistance to the 
man who is continually called upon to purchase equipment of various kinds to carry on 
his work and who normally has no place to turn for the information. 

J. HOWARD PILE, 

Aug. 1, 1920. Technical Editor, Motor World. 


4 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Trouble Chart 

A tabulation of all the different battery troubles with an explanation of their causes 
and remedies.Folder inside front cover 

CHAPTER I CHAPTER III 


Battery Troubles. 7 

Taking up the conditions of op¬ 
eration, relation between electri¬ 
cal units, diseases of battery 
plates, chemical action, sulpha- 
tion, internal short circuits, volt¬ 
meter readings, corroded termi¬ 
nals and freezing. 

CHAPTER II 

Diagnosis of Battery Troubles. 23 

Location of trouble by inspection 
and testing with voltmeter, hydro¬ 
meter, etc., overheating, circuit 
tests, shorts, battery mainte¬ 
nance hints. 


The High Rate Discharge Test.... 42 

Various methods and equipment 
for conducting a discharge at a 
high rate to locate trouble. 

CHAPTER IV 

The Cadmium Test. 54 

A minute description of the 
method of testing the individual 
groups of positives and negatives 
to find out whether they are func¬ 
tioning properly. 

CHAPTER V 

Charging the Battery. 56 

Technical information and practi- 


5 







6 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


cal methods of recharging on a 
commercial basis. 


CHAPTER VI 

Shop Methods in General. 76 

Use of the hydrometer, mixing 
electrolyte, lead burning, remov¬ 
ing connecters, handling com¬ 
pound, plate assembly, tools, etc. 

CHAPTER VII 

Battery Repairs in Detail. 94 

Supplementing the general repair 
work in preceding chapters, this 
chapter takes up detailed instruc¬ 
tions for individual batteries. 

CHAPTER VIII 

Wet and Dry Storage and the Treat¬ 
ment of New Batteries. 108 

Maintaining batteries during pe¬ 
riods of inactivity and preparing 
new batteries for delivery. 


CHAPTER IX 

Service Station Layout. 116 

Economical and convenient ar¬ 
rangements laid out in plan form 
for establishments of varying size. 

CHAPTER X 

Shop Management . 126 

Systems and records in use, man¬ 
agement of rental batteries, keep¬ 
ing track of business and what to 
charge for repairs. 

CHAPTER XI 

Tables and Information for the Bat¬ 


tery Repairman . 140 

CHAPTER XII 

Glossary of Terms Used in Battery 
Service . 143 

CHAPTER XIII 

List of Manufacturers of Batteries, 
Parts and Equipment for Repair¬ 
ing and Testing. 149 










CHAPTER I 
Battery Troubles 


T HE automobile storage battery is a 
remarkably rugged piece of appa¬ 
ratus and, properly treated, will 
give satisfaction until it is so badly worn 
that its useful life is ended. Car owners 
are prone to regard the battery as a neces¬ 
sary evil whose peculiarities they must 
put up with. To combat this tendency 
battery service stations by the thousands 
are in existence all over the country, and 
more are being opened every day in order 
that the car owner may have the benefit 
of the experience of expert battery men 
who should not only remedy the troubles 
which are usually occasioned by neglect 
of the battery, but educate car owners in 
its proper treatment. Generally speak¬ 
ing, the service rendered by electric 
starting-lighting systems has been so sat¬ 
isfactory that the public has come to re¬ 


gard them as an indispensable part of 
the passenger automobile. 

The essential parts of any electrical 
starting - lighting system are the gen¬ 
erator, the starting motor and the stor¬ 
age battery. In addition to these are 
the lights, horn, necessary wiring and 
switches, and in some cases the ignition 
unit. The generator does not differ ma¬ 
terially from the ordinary machine, ex¬ 
cept that some special means must be 
included for controlling the voltage as 
the speed of the generator varies with 
the speed of the engine. The voltage 
regulator is usually arranged so that the 
generator will be producing a voltage 
sufficiently large to send a charging cur¬ 
rent through the battery at some speed 
between 10 and 15 miles per hour. The 
regulation of the voltage is such that 


7 


8 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


it does not increase materially above this 
point regardless of engine speed. When 
the engine is running so slow that suffi¬ 
cient voltage is not generated to balance 
the battery voltage, current would flow 
from the battery through the generator if 
some means were not provided for break¬ 
ing the circuit automatically when the 
generator falls below the voltage of the 
battery. This is the function of the cutout. 

The starting motor must have a large 
torque at start and only a series motor 
will satisfy this requirement. In order 
to get the large turning effort or torque 
necessary to start the engine, very heavy 
currents are drawn from the battery, 
reaching values of about 250 amperes. 
This severe drain only lasts until the 
starting motor begins to rotate, but even 
after the engine is being turned over at 
cranking speed, the current drawn from 
the battery is about six times the normal 


discharge rate. It is evident that any 
prolonged use of the starter will dis¬ 
charge the battery very rapidly. This is 
especially true in winter when the engine 
is stiff and the carburetor does not func¬ 
tion properly. 

Conditions of Operation 
The relation between the various units 
of the electrical system should be thor¬ 
oughly understood, and the following 
conditions are possible: 

Starting switch closed. Under this 

• condition the battery is supplying 
very heavy currents to the starting motor 
in order to supply the torque necessary 
to turn the engine over. 

Engine idling. The engine is not 

• turning the generator over fast 
enough to produce the voltage required 
to send a charging current through the 
battery. 


Be Sure to Consult the Supplementary Trouble Chart 

The large trouble chart inserted in this book should be consulted before reading 
the book and while reading it. It is printed in large type so that it can be hung on the 
wall for ready reference. The arrangement is so simple and the subject matter so 
thorough that it will answer every question of trouble. 


BATTERY 

3 Engine running at or above normal 
• touring speed. The generator is now 
producing sufficient voltage to charge 
the battery, and the cutout switch closes. 
The battery is now being charged. Day¬ 
light driving. 

Engine running, lights on. The gen- 
• erator is, in addition to charging the 


TROUBLES 9 

battery, supplying current for the lights. 
Night driving. 

Engine idling or stopped, lights on. 
• The generator is either not generat¬ 
ing sufficient voltage to keep the cutout 
closed, or it is stopped, and the battery 
is supplying current to the lights. Car 
standing at night. 



Fig. 1— Left—The active material in this plate has bulged out of the grid 
and very serious shedding has resulted. This battery was allowed to overheat. 
Right—A negative plate from the same battery which shows the disintegra¬ 
tion which takes place when a battery gets hot. Center—This is a burnt 
positive—note how the heat has warped the grid 





BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


10 

If battery ignition is used, the bat- 
• tery supplies current to the ignition 
coil at all engine speeds below that at 
which the cutout switch closes. 

When the car is driven at night, it 
receives little if any charge as the lights 
and ignition coil absorb the output of the 
generator, and for this reason the bat¬ 
tery depends on the hours of daylight 
driving for its charge. The manufac¬ 
turer endeavors to design and adjust his 
starting-lighting system so that if the 
use of the starting motor is normal, and 
ratio of hours of daylight to night driv¬ 
ing is average, the battery will at all 
times be properly charged. However, it 
is clear that if the car is driven mostly 
at night, or if very frequent starts are 
required, the battery will be overdis¬ 
charged, unless it is given an occasional 
boosting charge either from an external 
source or by running the engine until 
the battery is charged. On the other 
hand, if the use of the car is confined 
to long, non-stop runs in the daytime, 
the battery will receive more current 
than it can use, and it will consequently 


be overcharged. It is evident that the 
conditions under which the electrical sys- 



Fig. 2—A buckled group caused by 
overheating—the plates have cut 
through the separators with re¬ 
sultant short circuit. The plates 
are so badly damaged that they are 
actually falling apart 

tern is operated have a very important 
influence on storage battery condition. 

Chemical Action Within the Battery 

The action of the storage battery on 
discharge is very similar to that which 
takes place in the ordinary primary bat- 






BATTERY TROUBLES 


11 


tery. The elements are attacked by the 
electrolyte and the battery produces a 
voltage. 

In the primary cell, however, the 
actions that take place are irrevers¬ 
ible; that is, when disintegration of the 
elements has proceeded to a certain point, 
they must be replaced or a new battery 
installed. In the storage battery, on the 
contrary, reversing the direction of cur¬ 
rent flow in the battery will immediately 
start to return the elements to their 
original condition, and if the process is 
continued long enough, the plates will 
arrive at the condition they were in when 
the discharge was started. The battery 
is then in a charged condition and is 
ready to start another period of dis¬ 
charge. 

In a charged battery the active ma¬ 
terial in the positive plates is lead 
peroxide and in the negative plates 
spongy lead, and the electrolyte is a mix¬ 
ture of sulphuric acid and water with 
a gravity of between 1.275 and 1.300. 
On discharge, the acid in the electro¬ 
lyte combines with the active material 
with the formation of lead sulphate. 


This sulphate formation is essential to 
the operation of the battery and should 
not be confusefd with the injurious sul¬ 
phate which is formed when the battery 
is not properly treated. During dis¬ 
charge, acid is withdrawn from the elec¬ 
trolyte and the gravity of the solution 
consequently decreases as the discharge 
proceeds. When the gravity has been 
reduced to about 1.150 it is said to be 
discharged, as further discharge has been 
found to be injurious to the battery. 
During this time the voltage gradually 
falls from a maximum of between 2.1 
and 2.2 volts to 1.7 volts when the dis¬ 
charge is complete. 

On charge, the sulphate is converted 
back into acid and active material, and 
the specific gravity of the electrolyte 
rises as a result. Furthermore the ter¬ 
minal voltage increases during charge, 
starting at about 2.2 volts and continu¬ 
ing fairly constant at this value until the 
end of the charge when it rises to a little 
over 2.5 volts. During the charge gas 
is formed and at the end its evolution 
becomes quite violent. 

These are the actions which take place 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


12 

in a normal battery, but improper usage 
or failure to maintain the battery will 
have the same effect on it as is obtained 
when any other part of the car is over¬ 
strained or neglected. Of course, the 
battery is subject to wear just the same 
as any other mechanism and its life is 
considerably shorter than that of the 
average automobile, but in the majority 
of cases the troubles that are here dis¬ 
cussed are the result of abuse or neglect, 
or a combination of both. 

Overdischarge Causes Sulphation 

One of the most common causes of the 
formation of obnoxious sulphate, which 
is difficult or impossible to reduce on 
charge, is overdischarge of the battery. 
Allowing the battery to stand in a dis¬ 
charge condition is another prolific cause 
of this condition. If the electrolyte is 
so low that a portion of the plates is 
exposed to the air, that portion will soon 
be sulphated. Any condition either with¬ 
in the battery or in the external circuits 
which results in overdischarge will* cause 
sulphation, and in this classification 


come internal and external short circuits, 
grounds, and local action. 

Except when sulphation is the result 
of adding raw acid or electrolyte to re¬ 
place evaporation, the specific gravity 
of the liquid in a sulphated cell will al¬ 
ways be low, nor will it build up to proper 
value on charge unless a special charg¬ 
ing rate is used. It is customary to put 
a sulphated cell on charge at 1/24 of the 
ampere-hour capacity until the gravity 
comes up to the fully charged point. In 
some cases even this will not eradicate 
the trouble and it is necessary to tear 
the battery down and replace the dam¬ 
aged elements. 

Sulphate forms in several different 
ways. During the process of discharge 
it is formed in the pores of the plates 
and gradually reduces the amount of 
active material exposed to the action 
of the electrolyte. It also forms as a 
layer all over the surface of the plate 
and, on occasions, in spots distributed 
over the plate. Another formation is 
usually the result of defective manufac¬ 
ture. If the active material of the pos- 


BATTERY TROUBLES 


13 


itive plate does not fit the lead grid 
closely, electrolyte gets between the two 
and of course battery action takes place 
with the production of sulphate which 
soon forms an insulating wall between 
the active material and the grid. 

In a great many cases the battery has 


apparently not enough capacity to oper¬ 
ate the equipment on the car properly. 
This is quite often due to some defect 
in the external circuits by which the 
battery is being discharged through a 
short circuit or ground, or it is not re¬ 
ceiving its proper charge from the gen- 



Fig. 3— Left—Sulphation caused by failure to maintain the level of the 
electrolyte. Right—Plate from a battery which has been over discharged — 
note the heavy sulphate formation and the bulged active material 




BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


14 

erator due to some defect in it or the 
cutout. Of course if any of these con¬ 
ditions are not corrected the battery will 
be seriously injured, but if the cause is 
eliminated (and this is usually possible, 
as it so interferes with the operation of 
the car that the owner will seek expert 
advice immediately), all that is neces¬ 
sary is to make the repairs to the elec¬ 
trical system and to charge the battery. 

Anything which causes an internal 
discharge of the battery reduces the 
amount of active material exposed to the 
action of the electrolyte, or increases the 
internal resistance of the cell, will cause 
a real loss in the capacity of the bat¬ 
tery. Among these causes are sulpha- 
tion, internal short circuits, shedding, 
clogged or improperly inserted separat¬ 
ors, local action, and low electrolyte 
level. With the exception of the last, 
it is necessary to tear down the bat¬ 
tery in order to eliminate the causes of 
reduced capacity. 

Internal Short Circuits 

All short circuits which occur within 
the jar are classed as internal. The 


most common cause is rotted separators 
and this condition may be due to over¬ 
heating, too high gravity electrolyte, or 



Fig. 4— This badly rotted separator 
has resulted in an internal phort 
circuity with the consequent damage 
to the plates 

old age—the remedy is obviously to re¬ 
place the defective separators, and the 
service station should recommend that 
this be done annually as an insurance 






BATTERY TROUBLES 


against break-down. Buckled plates 
which cut through the separators and the 
accumulation of sediment in the bot¬ 
tom of the jar are other causes of this 
difficulty, both of which require a tear- 
down for correction. 

There is a considerable diversity of 
opinion as to the safe point below which 
the gravity of the battery should not 
fall. However, at a gravity of 1.200 the 
battery is approximately half discharged 
and when a car comes into a service sta¬ 
tion with a gravity of less than this, it 
should be removed from the car and 
charged from some external source of 
power. It can be fully charged by the 
generator mounted on the car, but the 
length of time required would be a seri¬ 
ous inconvenience. A sulphated battery 
will show a low gravity reading as will 
one which has internal short circuits or 
local action, both of which result in in¬ 
ternal discharge. In some cases, elec¬ 
trolyte is slopped out of the jars or is 
lost due to a cracked jar and the level 
has been brought back to normal by 
adding distilled water. This naturally 


15 

dilutes the electrolyte and the only way 
to bring the liquid back to strength is 
to add the necessary acid, at the same 
time giving the battery a thorough 
charge. Of course, if a jar is broken, 
it must be replaced by a new one before 
the gravity of the cell is brought to 
normal. 

If at the end of a charge, the gravity 
of the electrolyte is over 1.300, the pro¬ 
portion of acid to water is incorrect, and 
a portion of the electrolyte should be 
replaced with distilled water and the 
electrolyte balanced. This condition is 
either the result of adding acid to re¬ 
place evaporation or the use of incorrect 
gravity acid or improper balancing in 
the first place. 

Voltmeter Readings 

It is a rather difficult thing to make 
an absolute determination of the voltage 
of a storage battery, and in measuring 
the voltage the value given is usually 
the result of taking a voltmeter read¬ 
ing while the cell is on charge or dis¬ 
charge. The voltage of an automobile 
storage battery should not go below 1.7 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


16 

volts per cell on discharge, as further 
discharge will result in serious injury. 
If the internal resistance of the cell is 
high due to sulphation, clogged separa¬ 
tors or low gravity electrolyte, the drop 
in voltage due to the resistance that the 
cell offers to the passage of current will 
be abnormal and consequently the term¬ 
inal voltage, which is the difference be¬ 
tween the generated voltage and the re¬ 
sistance drop, will be abnormally low. 
A dead cell will give practically no volt¬ 
age reading on charge, and the gravity 
will be low. 

Any action which takes place in the 
battery which causes greater expansion 
of one part of the plate than another 
will cause buckling. Overheating due to 
high internal resistance or too high 
rates of charge and discharge will result 
in this condition. The formation of lead 
sulphate in the pores of the plate and 
its subsequent expansion is another 
cause, and where the sulphate is depos¬ 
ited in spots on the surface of the plate, 
those parts which are left exposed to the 
electrolyte carry abnormally heavy cur¬ 


rents and consequently local overheating 
and expansion result. 

Occasionally the capacity of a battery 
will be reduced as a result of one of the 
lugs, which hold the plates on the con- 



Fig. 5 —Quoting the service man¬ 
ager from whom this specimen was 
obtained, u This plate is pretty well 
shot.” It wore out in service and 
fell apart when it was removed 








BATTERY 

necting straps, having been broken. 
This condition may result from excessive 
vibration due to the battery not being 
properly fastened down, or the metal 
in the lug or the burned joint may be 
defective. In any case it necessitates 
tearing down the battery in order to 
burn on the plate. 

Slopping Causes Corroded Terminals 

If the electrolyte is allowed to slop 
out of the jars, it will attack the lead 
terminals and will corrode them with 
the formation of a greenish material. 
If the terminals are not badly eaten, 
nothing need be done but wash them off 
with an alkaline solution made of soda 
or ammonia. They should then be coated 
with vaseline. The breakage of con¬ 
nectors is a rare occurrence and this 
trouble can usually be charged to poor 
lead burning, although if the jars are 
loose in the case continued vibration 
may break the connectors. 

Corrosion of the lugs and connecting 
straps may be removed by washing with 
ammonia or soda solution provided these 
parts have not been weakened. If a 


TROUBLES 17 

battery is allowed to overheat, this con¬ 
dition will result, as the acid in the elec¬ 
trolyte is more active at the higher tem¬ 
peratures. High gravity electrolyte will 
have the same effect as will also not 
keeping the electrolyte up to the proper 
level. If the electrolyte is allowed to 
come in contact with the wooden case it 
will rot it despite the fact that it is 
impregnated with an acid resisting paint. 
A badly rotted case is a pretty certain 
indication of a broken jar although it 
may be caused by slopping. 

Any defect in the external circuit will 
be reflected in the battery and it is of 
the greatest importance in handling 
storage battery troubles that the causes 
be correctly diagnosed. There is no 
sense in rebuilding a damaged battery 
at considerable expense to the owner 
and then putting it back in the car when 
the original cause of the trouble is a 
short-circuit or ground in the external 
circuit, or the improper operation of the 
cutout, unless this trouble is at the same 
time located and corrected. Otherwise the 
car owner will be back in a short time 
with his battery in need of repair, and 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


18 

he can hardly be blamed if he is some¬ 
what doubtful as to the honesty of the 
original repair. 

Ever since the storage battery first 
came into prominence as a necessary 
accessory, the battery manufacturers 



Fig. 6 —Sediment has been allowed 
to accumulate in this cell until 
the plates were short circuited 


have been carrying on a campaign of 
education as to its proper use, and par¬ 
ticular stress has been laid on the im¬ 
portance of maintaining the level of the 
electrolyte. This is one of the most fre¬ 
quent causes of battery trouble. If it is 
the result of evaporation, it is only nec¬ 
essary to replace with distilled water, 
but if some of the electrolyte has been 
spilled the battery must be placed on 
charge and the gravity of the electrolyte 
carefully balanced. 

Normally, the active material in the 
plates is firm, but if the battery is sub¬ 
jected to repeat overcharges, or to ex¬ 
cessive rates of charge or discharge, the 
active material will become soft and will 
no longer adhere to the grids, and new 
plates will be required. The negative 
plates will become hard and inactive if 
they are allowed to stand exposed to the 
air unless all acid has been washed out 
of their pores. Plates in this condition 
are usually ruined although a prolonged 
charge at a low rate sometimes gives 
them new life. Light has a peculiar 
effect on the positive plate in that it 
will cause it to warp out of shape. 


BATTERY TROUBLES 


19 



Fig. 7 —Positive plates taken from two different batteries both of which 
have been frozen; this condition results from exposure to low temperatures 
in a discharged condition 


Frozen Batteries 

A fully charged battery will never 
freeze, as the freezing point of a 1.300 
gravity solution of sulphuric acid is in 
the neighborhood of —100 deg. Fahr. 
However, in a discharged battery the 


freezing point of the electrolyte ap¬ 
proaches within 15 deg. Fahr. of the 
freezing point of water. A battery which 
has been frozen is ruined, and the wise 
thing to do is to replace it with a new 
one. 










BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


20 

In assembling the battery after an 
overhaul it is essential that the separ¬ 
ators are correctly inserted and there 
are two ways of placing them incor¬ 
rectly—the first is to put the flat side 
against the positive plate, which make3 
it difficult for the electrolyte to get at 
the active material of the positive 
plate, and second placing them with the 
grooves horizontal. This prevents the 
active material which is shed during 
normal operation from dropping to the 
bottom of the cell and thus interferes 
with the working of the battery. If the 
currents carried by the battery either 
on charge or discharge are excessive, or 
if the battery is overcharged, shedding 
of the active material will result, and the 
capacity of the battery will be reduced. 

Batteries are provided with filling 
plugs in order to prevent the electrolyte 
from spilling out on the top of the cells 
due to the vibration to which the bat¬ 
tery is subjected on the road, and if 
these are left out it is natural to expect 
that slopping will result. Other causes 
of this condition are a cracked cover or 


an improperly sealed cell. If the elec¬ 
trolyte level is low due to this cause it 
cannot be brought back to normal by the 
addition of distilled water, but must be 
balanced. 



Fig. 8 —Slopped electrolyte has at¬ 
tacked the connector with forma¬ 
tion of a layer of lead sulphate 
which practically insulates the lead 

If anything but distilled water and 
chemically pure sulphuric acid are used 
in the electrolyte, impurities will be in¬ 
troduced into the battery which seriously 
disturb its operation. These impurities 


BATTERY 

lodge in the pores of the wooden separ¬ 
ators and cause overheating, and decrease 
the capacity of the battery. Further¬ 
more certain impurities have a battery 
action with the active material of the 
plates which results in internal dis¬ 
charge. This is called local action and it 
is also caused by a lack of uniformity in 
the grid alloy and by acid getting be¬ 
tween the active material and the grids. 
The latter results in the formation of 
an insulating layer of sulphate which in¬ 
creases the resistance of the battery 
greatly. It is a manufacturing defect, 
however, which is seldom encountered. 

Temperature Should Not Exceed 105 Deg. 

The maximum temperature at which 
a battery should be operated is about 
105 deg. Fahr., and if this temperature 
is exceeded there is either something the 
matter with the battery or the current 
carried by it is too heavy. This is self- 
evident when it is considered that the 
heating due to an electric current is 
dependent on both the size of the cur¬ 
rent and the resistance through which 


TROUBLES 21 

it passes. Any factor that increases the 
internal resistance of the battery such 
as sulphation, low gravity electrolyte, 
and so forth, will result in overheating 
even if the current carried is only nor¬ 
mal. Internal short circuits and dead 
cells on the other hand actually decrease 
the internal resistance, but this fact re- 



Fig. 9 —A buckled plate. The maxi - 
mum distortion takes place at the 
center , causing the edges to warp 


suits in larger currents with consequent 
overheating. 

Generally a battery is pretty sure to 
be in good condition if the gravity of the 
electrolyte is between 1.220 and 1.800, 
the voltage about 2 volts per cell and 
never less than 1.7 volts on discharge 
at normal rates, and the battery does not 
overheat either on charge or discharge 
at normal rates. Of course the electro¬ 
lyte must cover the plates and there 



BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


22 

should be no evidences of slopping or 
corrosion. If a battery meets all of 
these conditions it will meet all the re¬ 
quirements of ordinary service. 



. Fig. 10 —Bulged negative caused by 
excessive formation of sulphate 


In order to supply current to the lights 
and starting motor, the battery must 
receive current from the generator in 
sufficient quantities to replace the with¬ 
drawals. In selecting the capacity of 


the battery and generator for any partic¬ 
ular car, the designer must assume cer¬ 
tain operating conditions as average. If 
the generator is too small, the battery 
will be injured by overdischarge and 
on the other hand, if the generator is 
too large, the resulting overcharge hurts 
the battery. If a battery comes into the 
station badly discharged and the wiring 
and other electrical equipment is in good 
condition, the driver has not been using 
the starting-lighting system properly. 
Frequent starts, starting the engine 
without priming in winter, using the 
starting motor to move the car, long 
runs at night without a corresponding 
amount of daylight running, and the 
addition of extra electrical equipment or 
the use of larger lamps than were pro¬ 
vided for by the designer, will all result 
in an overdischarged battery. On the 
other hand, if the car is used mostly 
during the daytime and for runs re¬ 
quiring but infrequent starts, overcharge 
will result because but little current is 
being drawn from the battery although 
the generator is supplying it with energy 
at the normal rate. 


CHAPTER II 

Diagnosis of Battery Troubles 


T HE basic cause of electrical trouble 
on the automobile is not usually 
the storage battery. At first 
glance this may seem to be a rather 
sweeping statement, especially in view 
of the prevalent practice of condemning 
the storage battery whenever trouble 
with the starting-lighting system is ex¬ 
perienced. Within the limits of the life 
of the storage battery, however, it is in 
the main true. The fact that the 
“health” of the battery depends abso¬ 
lutely on the conditions under which it 
is operated is usually overlooked. These 
conditions are determined not only by 
the way the car is driven but also 
by the other units of the electrical sys¬ 
tem. Many defects in the latter will 
result in serious damage to the battery 
unless located and corrected quickly. 


The function of the service station is 
to locate the causes of the damage to 
the battery and to make the necessary 
repairs. Inasmuch as battery condition 
depends very materially on the other 
parts of the starting-lighting system, 
it is important that its operation and 
test be thoroughly understood. This 
procedure is essential to satisfactory 
service as no repairs to the battery can 
be permanent and satisfactory unless the 
causes of the troubles are at the same 
time eliminated. It is not the intention 
to convey the idea that starting-lighting 
systems are unreliable as the contrary 
is true. In the great majority of cases 
storage battery troubles are due to care¬ 
lessness and neglect on the part of the 
driver, and this applies particularly to 


23 


BATTERY SERVICE MANIUAL 


24 

the battery that comes in badly over¬ 
charged or overdischarged. 

Usually the car comes into the service 
station and the driver merely states that 
the starting motor will not crank the en¬ 
gine, and it is up to the service station 
to determine the cause and sell the neces¬ 
sary repairs. Different authorities rec¬ 
ommend various procedures to be fol¬ 
lowed in testing out the electrical sys¬ 
tem, and these tests are only of interest 
here because they locate the defect in 
the system which makes it inoperative, 
and which defect quite often has a dam¬ 
aging effect on the battery. The actual 
repairs to the electrical system are not 
covered in this article. 

The driver can furnish a great deal of 
leading information regarding the source 
of the trouble, especially if he is a 
stranger and you are consequently not 
familiar with the personal history of the 
car. The following questions are typical: 

1 —How old is the battery? The life 
of the battery is considerably shorter 
than that of the car and if it is from 
12 to 18 months old it is very probable 
that it is nearing the end of its exist¬ 


ence. This figure is an approximation 
and it will be very frequently exceeded. 
No definite life is assured because this 
depends on the conditions of operation. 

2— How old is the car? If the car 
has been in use for several years, and 
difficulty is experienced due to grounds 
and shorts, new wiring is advisable. If 
the starting motor and generator are 
not functioning properly, the ordinary 
operations of overhauling direct current 
machines such as cleaning the commu¬ 
tator and brushes, undercutting the mica 
and so forth will correct the difficulty. 

3— Do you do most of your driving in 
the daytime or at night? The former 
will result in an overcharged battery 
and the latter in one that is overdis¬ 
charged. 

4— What troubles have been experi¬ 
enced in the past? Previous repairs 
may have been improperly performed. 

5— Have you maintained the electro¬ 
lyte level? 

6— When did the system first give 
trouble and has anything been done to 
correct it? 

The battery service station is of course 


DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


primarily interested in the battery and, 
inasmuch as its condition has such an 
important bearing on the satisfactory 
operation of the car, it is tested first. 

Surface Inspection of the Battery and 
Compartment 

1— The battery is carried in a metal 
compartment attached to the car frame 
in most recent models. It is held in this 
compartment either by clamps or some 
sort of a spring suspension, and, in either 
case, it must be firmly secured and there 
must be no play between the case and 
its supports. The battery is as rugged 
as can be expected considering the ma¬ 
terials of which it is constructed, but it 
will not stand up under repeated shocks. 
Furthermore, slopping will result if the 
battery is permitted to move within the 
compartment. 

2— The top of the battery must be kept 
clean and dry, as electrolyte on the 
cover will not only permit current leak¬ 
age, but will corrode the terminals and 
they will offer a high resistance to the 
passage of current. Corrosion in its 
early stages may be removed by wash- 


25 

ing with an alkaline solution made up 
with ammonia or soda. Ordinary house¬ 
hold ammonia is used for this purpose, 
or a solution of about % lb. of washing 
soda in a gallon of water. After dry¬ 
ing, a coat of vaseline will prevent a 
. recurrence of this trouble. There should 
be no cracks in either the compound or 
the jar covers, and the filling plugs 
should be screwed home, as any of these 
defects will result in slopping. The con¬ 
nections should be clean and tight, as 
otherwise the joint resistance will be 
high, causing a large voltage drop when 
the starter is used. Nothing should be 
placed on top of the battery, and this 
applies particularly to metal tools which 
will cause a short circuit if they get 
across the terminals of a cell. 

3—The compartment in which the bat¬ 
tery is contained must be clean and dry. 
This space is for the use of the battery, 
although it may appear to be a conve¬ 
nient place to keep surplus tools. If 
electrolyte is slopped or spilled out of 
the battery, the water soon evaporates 
from it, leaving the active, concentrated 
acid which will corrode the metal walls 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


26 

of the compartment and rot the battery 
case. If the compartment is damp, it 
should be washed out with an alkaline 
solution and thoroughly dried. 

Testing the Battery 

1—The plates should be covered with 
electrolyte—the exact level of the elec¬ 
trolyte varies witli the make of battery 
but an average figure is in the neighbor¬ 
hood of V 2 in. over the top of the plates. 

An experienced battery man can esti¬ 
mate very accurately • the height of the 
electrolyte provided there is sufficient 
light on the battery. 

For an accurate test or where light is 
not available, the following method is 
recommended: Take a short length of 
glass tubing open at both ends, and, 
after removing the filling plugs, insert 
it into the filling tube until one end rests 
on the top of the plates. Fig. 11. Close 
the other end with the finger and with¬ 
draw the tube. The amount of liquid 
trapped in the end of the glass tube is 
a measure of the level of the electrolyte. 
If the level is below normal, distilled 


water should be added until the normal 
height is restored. 

If one cell repeatedly needs more 
water than the others, a cracked jar is 
indicated. This condition will usually 
be substantiated by a rotted case, a damp 
compartment and a loss of battery ca¬ 
pacity. 



Fig. 11 —A glass tube is used to 
measure the electrolyte level accu¬ 
rately 


















DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


If it requires the addition of a great 
deal of water to restore the level, the 
plates have probably been injured and 
the best thing to do is to take the bat¬ 
tery out for further test and repair. 

The electrolyte level should be tested 
at least weekly in warm weather and 
semi-monthly in cold weather, and dis¬ 
tilled water added if necessary. 

After adding water, the battery should 
be given a short charge before any spe¬ 
cific gravity readings are taken in order 
to mix it with the electrolyte. This 
charging is essential in cold weather, as 
otherwise the water is liable to freeze 
and ruin the battery. 

2—The specific gravity of the electro¬ 
lyte is the best and simplest indication 
of the condition of the battery, and it 
only loses its significance when acid or 
electrolyte has been added to replace 
evaporation. 

An automobile battery operates be¬ 
tween gravities of 1.300 and 1.150, the 
former representing a fully charged 
condition and the latter a fully dis¬ 
charged state. When the gravity is any 


27 

place between 1.275 and 1.300 the battery 
is considered charged. 

The consensus is that the gravity 
of the battery should never fall below 
1.200, at which point the battery is 
approximately half charged. If a bat¬ 
tery comes in with a gravity lower than 
this, it should be removed and given 
a boosting charge from an external 
source. This discharged condition of the 
battery may be due either to the condi¬ 
tions of operation or to some defect in 
the electrical system. If the latter is 
the case, the fault will be located in the 
subsequent test of the electrical equip¬ 
ment. 

3— The gravities of all the cells should 
test within 25 points of each other, and 
if the gravity of one cell differs from 
that of the others by more than this 
amount, trouble in that cell is indicated 
and the battery should be removed for 
further test and repair. 

The difference between two gravities 
is expressed in points—that is the gravi¬ 
ties of two solutions which test 1.260 and 
1.225 respectively differ by 35 points. 

4— If acid or electrolyte has been im- 



Fig. 12 —Shuro cell tester. This 
instrument has a combined volt¬ 
meter and ammeter , and a light 
for the non-technical user 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


properly added, the gravity reading is 
deceptive, and can not be used as a cri¬ 
terion. The gravity may show the bat¬ 
tery to be fully charged whereas the 
contrary is actually the case. In this 
case the voltage reading must be de¬ 
pended upon. Of course, if the gravity 
is over 1.310 it is evident that the elec¬ 
trolyte has been tampered with. 

5— On open circuit the voltmeter will 
give a reading of about 2 volts per cell 
except in the case of a dead cell. On 
charge the voltage should be about 2.5 
volts, and on discharge the minimum 
allowable reading is 1.8 volts per cell. 

6— Close the starter switch and if the 
cell voltage drops off below 1.8 volts a 
discharged battery is indicated, and un¬ 
less the electrolyte has been tampered 
with, this result will be corroborated by 
the gravity reading. 

There are a number of convenient 
forms of instruments for giving the bat- 













DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


tery a discharge test, three of which 
are illustrated in Figs. 12, 13 and 14. 
The first is equipped with a combined 
ammeter and voltmeter, and in addition 
has a light. Either the voltammeter or 
the light may be used as a guide to bat¬ 
tery condition. The second is simply 
equipped with a voltmeter and the third 
has leads on it which are attached to the 
shop voltmeter. Any of these give the 
battery a very severe test and if it is 
discharged or suffering from some in¬ 
ternal trouble the drop in voltage will 
make the condition known. 

To test the battery for a ground, con¬ 
nect one voltmeter lead to one of the bat¬ 
tery terminals, and the other to the 
frame of the car. If a reading is ob¬ 
tained the battery is grounded, and it 
will have to Se fitted with a new case. 

Overheating 

The battery should not get hot on 
charge. This is a certain indication of 
overcharge, too high charging rate, or 
internal battery trouble. Of course if 
the battery is located near a hot ex¬ 
haust pipe this may be the cause. 


29 

Testing the Starting, Lighting and 
Charging Circuits 

If the previous tests have shown the 
battery to be in serviceable condition, 
then the trouble is in the electrical 
equipment, or if the battery is damaged, 
and the driver maintains that he has 
used the electrical system considerately, 
the seat of the battery trouble may be 
located in the external circuits. A sys¬ 
tematic search should then be instituted 
to locate the cause. 

In conducting the test of the lighting 
and charging circuits the voltammeter 
shown in Fig. 15 is very useful. It i3 so 
arranged that full scale deflection of the 
pointer represents 3, 30 or 150 volts 
when it is connected as a voltmeter, or 
5, 15 or 30 amps, when connected as a 
voltmeter. It has a common positive 
terminal and the negative terminal used 
depends upon the reading to be taken. 
In testing always start with the largest 
scale and if the reading is within the 
range of a smaller scale, change the 
connections so that this scale is used. 
Never disconnect the voltmeter leiads 



BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Fig. 13— Springfield high rate discharge instrument 










DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


31 








BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


32 

from the instrument without first re¬ 
moving them from the circuit. 

Separate instruments may of course 
be used in place of the voltammeter, but 
the latter is better because the range 
of scales it provides permits readings 
to be taken with greater accuracy. If 
two instruments are used, the ammeter 
should have a range of 30 amperes and 
the voltmeter about 15 volts. 

Main Line Short Circuits 

1— If sparking occurs with all switches 
open when the battery leads touch the 
battery terminals, a main line short 
circuit or ground is indicated. 

2— Connect up the testing circuit 
shown in Fig. 16 using the 3-volt scale 
on the voltammeter, and test out the 
circuit piece by piece, starting by stick¬ 
ing the test points in the two leads which 
were disconnected from the battery. If 
there is a short circuit, or (in the case 
of a grounded system) a ground, the 
meter will show a reading. Using the 
wiring diagram if one is available, follow 
the various circuits through until the 
difficulty is located. 


Lighting Circuit Tests 
1—Connect all the wires leading to 
the dashboard ammeter to one of its 
terminals, thus cutting it out of the cir¬ 
cuit. 














DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


33 










BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


34 

2— Disconnect the starting cable from 
the battery and connect it to the 30- 
ampere terminal of the ammeter, Fig. 17. 
The positive terminal of the instrument 
should be connected to the positive of 
the battery. 

3— Inspect the fuses and see that they 
are all intact and tightly in place. If 
any are blown , out, test out the circuit 
involved and eliminate the short circuit 
or ground before putting in a new fuse. 

4— Switch on the lights. What the cur¬ 
rent should be can easily be computed 
from a knowledge of the candlepower of 
the lamps used. Suppose the lamps are 
as follows: 


1—Tail lamp. 2c.p. 

1— Dash Lamp. 2 c.p. 

2— Side lamps. 8 c.p. 

2—Head lamps. 30 c.p. 


Total. 42 c.p. 


A Mazda B lamp takes about 1 watt 
per candlepower, and consequently the 
total consumption of the lamps is 42 
watts. Dividing by the voltage (a six- 


volt battery is assumed), the current is 
7 amps. 

5—If one light fails to light, it may 



Fig. 17 —Connections from the in¬ 
strument to' the battery for the 
lighting circuit test 































DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


be loose in its socket or it may be burned 
out. If tightening up the bulb or in¬ 
stalling a new one fails to correct the 
trouble, remove the lamp and test the 
socket with the voltmeter. If there is no 
voltage, the trouble is either in the 
switch or there is an open circuit or 
ground between the lamp and the bat¬ 
tery. If there is a ground, the fuse pro¬ 
tecting that circuit will be blown out. 

6—If the ammeter pointer swings to 
full scale, when the lighting switch is 
closed a short circuit or a ground is in¬ 
dicated and the switch should be opened 
immediately. 

To quickly locate the short, remove 
the fuse plugs one at a time and close 
the lighting switch. If the ammeter 
swings to full scale, open the switch at 
once, replace the plug and repeat on the 
next one. If, upon disconnecting one 
of the plugs the pointer shows a normal 
reading when the switch is closed, the 
short is located in, the circuit protected 
by the plug which has been removed. If 
this does not clear the line, the wires 
connecting the switch and the fuse block 


35 

should be tested one by one by removing 
them and closing the lighting switch. 

This tests out the line fully from the 
lamps back to the lighting switch, and 
if the trouble is located between this 
point and the battery, the ammeter will 
indicate the passage of current regard¬ 
less of whether or not the lighting 
switch is closed. If this is the case open 
the circuit at once. 

7— If the wiring is found to be in 
good condition, but the lamps are dim the 
trouble may be due to dirty or loose 
connections, or to a discharged battery. 
The latter condition will have been in¬ 
dicated by the tests of the battery. 

8— Lamps dim on one side—this will 
occur in a car with a three-wire system 
if one-half of the battery is overdis¬ 
charged or if any of the conditions men¬ 
tioned in No. 7 are present on one side 
only. In case of overdischarge the trou¬ 
ble may be due to unequal loading and 
in order to secure permanent relief the 
load will have to be balanced. 

9— The lamps installed should be of 
the capacity specified for the car. Oc- 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


36 

casionally larger lamps have been in¬ 
stalled and the resulting overload will 
overdischarge the battery. 

10—The amount of light emitted by 
an electric lamp decreases with age and 
when the candlepower has decreased 20 
per cent, the lamp is at the end of its 
useful life and it should be discarded. 
The candlepower of a lamp can be com¬ 
pared with that of a new one in the 
testing outfit shown in Fig. 18. When 
the dimness of the lamp is caused by 
age only new lamps will remedy the 
trouble. 

Testing the Charging Circuit 

1 — Close the cutout by hand for an in¬ 
stant and if the ammeter pointer goes 
off scale, it is pretty safe to assume that 
there are no faults in the connections 
between the generator and the battery. 
Do not hold the cutout closed more than 
an instant as the ammeter is liable to 
be burned out if subjected to a heavy 
current for any length of time. 

2— Reverse the ammeter connections 


as on charge the direction of current 
flow is opposite to that on discharge. 

3— Start the engine by hand. Do not 
use the starter as the ammeter has not 
the capacity to stand the heavy cur¬ 
rents. If this precaution is not fol¬ 
lowed the meter will be ruined. 

4— Gradually open the throttle until 
the ammeter indicates the flow of cur¬ 
rent. This should occur at an engine 
speed corresponding to a high gear car 
velocity of between 10 and 15 m.p.h. If 
the cutout does not close by the time 
this speed is reached or if it chatters, 
it is in need of adjustment. 

5— Continue opening the throttle un¬ 
til the engine is racing. The current 
reading on the ammeter should not in¬ 
crease more than about 20 per cent 
throughout the entire speed change. 

6— Connect the dashboard ammeter in 
circuit during this test and if it reads 
in the reverse direction to that which it 
should, there are three possible causes: 

Meter connections reversed. 

Generator connections reversed. 

Battery connections reversed. 


DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


37 

















38 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


"the gravity is below' 
1 . 200 . 


the gravity of one cell 
is more than 25 points 
from the others, 
the gravity rises above 
1.310 on charge, 
the voltmeter indicates 
a dead cell. 

the battery 'gives less 
than 1.8 volts per 
cell on discharge, 
the battery overheats, 
the electrolyte level is 
very low. 

acid has been added, 
the terminals are badly 
corroded or can not 
be tightened, 
the connectors are 
broken or poorly 
burnt on. 

the compound is 
cracked. 

the jar or its cover is 
broken. 

the case is rotted or 
broken. 


the battery 
should be 
removed. 


If the voltammeter reads correctly 
when connected as shown in Fig. 19, the 
meter connections are reversed, but if 
both meters read in the reverse direction, 
the generator or battery connections 
are reversed. Exchanging the connec¬ 
tion at either place will correct the 
trouble. If this condition has been pres¬ 
ent for any length of time, the battery 
has probably been seriously injured and 
it should be removed from the car for 
further test and repair. 

7— If the instrument shows no charge 
at all, measure the generator terminal 
voltage using the 15-volt scale. On a 
6-volt system, the generator should 
produce around 10 volts at normal 
speeds, and if this value is not ob¬ 
tained, the generator needs overhauling. 
The voltmeter is connected across the 
generator terminals, or in the case of a 
grounded system across the positive 
terminal and the car frame. A further 
test is to close the cutout and if the 
meter indicates charge, the generator is 
not producing sufficient voltage to close 
the cutout. 

8— To test for open circuits, connect 





39 


DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


a jumper in parallel with the wire con¬ 
necting the positive generator and the 
positive of the dashboard ammeter. If 
this does not cause the ammeter to show 
a reading, that part of the circuit is 
0. K. Test the various parts of the 
circuit in this manner until the open 
point is located. 

Testing the Starting Circuit 

1— Remove the voltammeter from the 
circuit. 

2— Connect the voltmeter across the 
terminals of the battery and close the 
starting switch. If everything is all 
right, the voltage should not drop below 
5.4 volts in a 6-volt system, the motor 
should start the engine, and the lights 
should not decrease in brilliancy to any 
great extent. 

3— If the voltage drops below 1.8 volts 
per cell the battery is discharged or in 
need of repair. 

4— If there is no loss in voltage when 
the starting switch is closed there is an 
open circuit. 

5— If the lights get dim when the 



Fig. 19 —For the charging circuit 
test , the positive pole of the bat¬ 
tery connects to the 30-ampere ter¬ 
minal of the meter 


























BATTERY SERVICE MANfUAL 


40 

starting switch is closed and the battery- 
voltage stands up, loose or dirty connec¬ 
tions are indicated. 

6—If the starting motor will not turn 
the engine at cranking speed, and the 
battery and connections are 0. K., the 
fault lies in the motor. 

Usually the battery comes into the 
service station because the driver has 
failed to use the starting-lighting sys¬ 
tem judiciously, and a majority of cases 
of trouble are nothing more than a dis¬ 
charged battery. Whether any injury 
to the battery has resulted depends on 
how long this condition has existed. If 
the substitution of a rental battery for 
one that tests show to be discharged 
causes the starting-lighting system to 
operate properly, the trouble is very 
likely the fault of the owner in that he 
has failed to keep his battery charged. 
However, this difficulty may be occa¬ 
sioned by some defect in the lighting or 
the charging circuits, and it is for this 
reason that they should be tested to de¬ 
termine whether the battery is receiving 
its proper charge and whether there are 


short circuits or grounds present which 
cause the discharged condition. 

Defects in the starting motor do not 
have as potent an effect on the battery 
unless the starting switch is held closed 
despite the fact that the motor is un¬ 
able to turn the engine at cranking 
speed. 

If the battery is in poor condition then 
it must share the blame for the failure 
of the starting-lighting system. Wheth¬ 
er it is the sole cause of the trouble can 
only be determined after a thorough 
test of the entire electrical system. If 
the battery is in good shape, the fault 
lies in the external circuits and must 
be located by proper test. 

Battery Maintenance Hints 

1. Battery must be properly installed 
and securely fastened in place. 

2. Keep battery and interior of bat¬ 
tery compartment clean and dry. 

3. The level of the electrolyte must 
be maintained at its proper height and 
pure water should be added at regular 
intervals to replace evaporation. 


DIAGNOSIS OF BATTERY TROUBLES 


41 


4. The specific gravity of the electro¬ 
lyte is an indication of the condition of 
the battery. 

5. The variations in the gravities of 
the different cells should not exceed 25 
points. 

6. If the gravity in one cell is marked¬ 
ly lower than in the others, especially 


if successive readings show the differ¬ 
ence to be increasing, indicates that the 
cell is not in good order. 

7. The gravity should not be allowed 
to fall below 1.200, and the battery 
should not be charged after the gravity 
has become constant at some point be¬ 
tween 1.275 and 1.300. 



CHAPTER III 

The High Rate Discharge Test 


W HETHER a battery is charged, or 
partially or completely discharged, 
depends on the chemical condition 
of the plates. A quantitative chemical 
test of the plates is not a practical 
method of determining battery condition 
so other means have fbeen devised for 
testing the condition of the battery. The 
gravity test is the most common of 
these, but is not always dependable, so 
the high rate discharge and cadmium 
tests are resorted to for corroboration. 

As a result of the chemical action 
which takes place at the plates when the 
battery is carrying current in either 
direction, the gravity of the electrolyte 
decreases on discharge and increases on 
charge. Experience has shown that the 
best results are obtained from an auto¬ 
mobile storage battery when the acid and 


water in the electrolyte are so propor¬ 
tioned that the gravity of a fully 
charged battery will measure between 
1.275 and 1.300. Electrolyte of this com¬ 
position has been accepted as standard 
by all battery manufacturers, and con¬ 
sequently it is common practice to test 
the state of charge or discharge of a 
battery by measuring its specific gravity. 

It is important to remember that the 
accuracy of the gravity test depends on 
the use of an electrolyte that is so pro¬ 
portioned that when the battery is fully 
charged, the gravity will measure about 
1.280. If the electrolyte has some other 
proportions, the gravity test will be mis¬ 
leading. If the proportions of the elec¬ 
trolyte are such that prolonged charge 
will not raise it above 1.250, it is evi¬ 
dent that the battery is charged al- 


42 


THE HIGH RATE 

though the hydrometer readings do not 
support this conclusion. If the equilib¬ 
rium between the acid and water has 
been destroyed by the addition of acid or 
electrolyte to replace evaporation, or by 
the addition of water to replace slop- 
page, a gravity reading will not indi¬ 
cate the condition of charge or discharge. 
The plates may be in a fully charged 
condition, and the gravity may be either 
more or less than the value accepted as 
standard for a charged battery—the 
same is true when the battery is dis¬ 
charged. 

The ability of the battery to supply 
current, however, depends on whether 
the plates are in a charged or discharged 
condition, and the high rate discharge 
test is used to determine what capacity 
the plates have. In addition this test 
indicates the presence of internal defects 
in the battery which the hydrometer may 
not have located. It is always conducted 
in connection with gravity readings and 
usually the results obtained will support 
the conclusions drawn from the hydrom¬ 
eter test. 

In making this test the actual voltages 


DISCHARGE TEST 43 

obtained from the cells is not so im¬ 
portant as how they compare with each 
other. This test will not only show up 
a defective cell or a discharged battery, 
but will also show a broken or loose con¬ 
nector. It is a better test than can be 
obtained with the individual cell tester 
because all the cells are tested while they 
are carrying the same current. 

The test consists simply of discharg¬ 
ing the battery at a comparatively high 
rate for a short period, and measuring 
the voltage of each cell while the heavy 
current is flowing. The entire test 
should not take much over a minute. 
The rate of discharge depends upon the 
ampere-hour capacity of the battery. 
The accuracy of the test is not affected 
materially by the rate of discharge and 
it is not necessary to use any definite 
current value. A suitable rate is 25 
amp. for each positive plate in the cell. 
For a battery with 11 plates per cell, 
the discharge rate according to this rule 
would be 125 amp. The ordinary 6-volt, 
starting-lighting battery will not be in¬ 
jured by a discharge at 200 amps., and 
the 12-volt at 100 amps. 


BATTERY SERVICE MANiUAL 


44 

Let us assume that the results of the 
hydrometer test give one of the follow¬ 
ing results: 

1. Gravity in all cells below 1.200. 

2. Gravity in all cells above 1.200. 

3. Gravity in one cell more than 25 
points lower than that in the others. 

In the first case a discharged battery 
is indicated and very likely all that is 
necessary is a bench charge. However, 
if there has been a loss of electrolyte 
due to slopping, and the loss has been 
made up with water, the plates may 
actually be in a charged condition despite 
the contrary condition of the hydrom¬ 
eter. The high rate discharge test will 
show whether the gravity reading has 
indicated the plate condition correctly. 
If the cell voltage drops below 1.75 volts, 
the battery needs a charge, and the grav¬ 
ity readings have given a correct indi¬ 
cation of the battery’s condition. 

If, however, the cell voltage stands up 
under the heavy discharge, the plates are 
in a charged condition, despite the con¬ 
trary indication of the hydrometer read¬ 
ing. This result shows that the electro¬ 
lyte is not correctly proportioned, and 


the battery should be put on charge and 
the gravity adjusted so that it meas¬ 
ures about 1.280 when the battery is 
charged. 

In the second instance, the gravity in¬ 
dicates that the battery is sufficiently 
charged to render satisfactory service. 
However, the driver may complain that 
it has not sufficient “kick” to start the 
engine. If when the battery is given 
the discharge test, the cell voltage is 
above 1.75 volts, the gravity readings 
may be depended upon. It is pretty 
certain that the fault does not lie with 
the battery. On the other hand if the 
cell voltage drops below 1.75 volts, the 
battery is over half-discharged despite 
the contrary results obtained with the 
hydrometer. In this case the battery 
should be given a bench charge and the 
gravity of the electrolyte adjusted to 
read about 1.280 when the battery is 
fully charged. This result will be ob¬ 
tained when acid or electrolyte has been 
added to replace evaporation. 

In the third case, there are two ex¬ 
planations—either there are internal 
troubles present which result in internal 


THE HIGH RATE 

discharge, or the electrolyte in the cell 
with the low gravity needs balancing. 
If there are internal troubles present, the 
voltage of the cell will drop below that 
of the others very materially. If the 
voltage stands up under the heavy dis¬ 
charge, the electrolyte in that cell needs 
balancing. 

The variation between the voltages ob¬ 
tained on the different cells should not 
be more than 0.1 volt in a charged bat¬ 
tery. If any one cell is more than this 
below the others, it is pretty certain that 
there is some trouble present which will 
necessitate opening the battery. The 
usual cause of this condition is an in¬ 
ternal short circuit resulting from rot¬ 
ted separators, buckled plates or accum¬ 
ulated sediment in the mud chamber. It 
may, however, be due to the presence of 
an excessive amount of sulphate, or any 
other factors which reduce the capacity 
of the cell. 

If a reversed voltage reading is ob¬ 
tained on a cell during this test, the bat¬ 
tery must be opened. 

If the gravity readings are satisfac¬ 
tory, and the voltages of all the cells 


DISCHARGE TEST 45 

have not fallen below 1.75 volts and the 
difference between the voltage readings 
does not exceed 0.1 volt, the plates are 
in good condition. The battery is suffi¬ 
ciently charged to give satisfactory 
service. If the results of the high rate 
discharge test show the battery to be 
charged and in good condition, and this 
conclusion is not substantiated by the 
hydrometer readings, the electrolyte is 
incorrectly proportioned and should be 
balanced in the usual manner. 

If the voltages of all the cells are be¬ 
low 1.75 volts and the gravity is below 
1.200, the battery should be given a bench 
charge. The limit of the voltage varia¬ 
tion between the different cells of a dis¬ 
charged battery can not be given exactly. 
If there is any internal trouble present, 
the voltage of the damaged cell may 
read about the same as the others at 
the start of the discharge test, but it 
will fall very rapidly. 

The apparatus for conducting this test 
may be constructed in the shop, or it 
may be purchased already made up. Each 
has its advantage, but it is the writer’s 
opinion that the test sets which are of- 


46 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 

































































THE HIGH RATE 

fered for sale will be more satisfactory 
and, in the end, cheaper. The equipment 
for the discharge test consists of a re¬ 
sistance through which the battery is 
discharged, an ammeter with a range of 
about 300 amperes, and a voltmeter with 
about a 3 volt range. The apparatus 
should be so located that, if desired, the 
customer may watch the test. 

The general construction of a water 
rheostat used in connection with a high 
rate discharge test is shown in Fig. 20. 

It consists of a barrel, the inside of 
which has been well covered with acid 
resisting paint, and two metal plates. 
One of these plates rests on the bottom 
of the barrel and the position of the 
other is adjustable. The liquid used is 
a very dilute solution of sulphuric acid. 

It is made by adding electrolyte to the 
water in the barrel until the conductiv¬ 
ity of the liquid is such that the desired 

Fig. 21 —With 12 -c.p. lamps this board 
has a capacity of about 125 amp. The 
capacity can be increased to 250 amp. by 
using 24 -c.p. lights. The numbers at the 
right of the switches indicate the number 
of lamps controlled by each 


TEST 


47 




































48 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


currents can be obtained. The battery 
is discharged through the barrel and the 
ammeter, and the voltages of the vari¬ 
ous cells are taken during the discharge. 
To obtain the desired current value, 
shove the counterweight down until the 
movable plate is at the surface of the 
liquid, then gradually pull up the coun¬ 
terweight, thus reducing the distance be¬ 
tween the two plates, until the ammeter 
indicates the required discharge rate. 


perature. In order to maintain the current 
at the required value, it will be necessary 
to adjust the rheostat constantly while 
the temperature of the water is rising. 

The lamp board shown in Fig. 21 is 
another outfit for conducting this test. 
The value of this apparatus is that it 
gives a visual indication of the condition 
of the battery because if the battery is 
discharged the lights will glow dimly. 
This is a test that the owner can under¬ 


water will have 
to be added occa¬ 
sionally due to 
losses caused by 
evaporation, and 
the conversion of 
the water into 
gas by the cur¬ 
rent. The water 
will heat up dur¬ 
ing the discharge 
and the current 
will not be con¬ 
stant until the 
water has reached 
a constant tem¬ 



Fig. 22 —This is an AUen-Bradley set having a capacity of 
300 amp. The resistance unit is made of carbon disks 
















49 


THE HIGH RATE DISCHARGE TEST 



Fig. 23 —The Ward-Leonard unit uses metallic 
resistances 


stand as the reading of the 
ammeter and the voltmeter 
are meaningless to the aver¬ 
age man. The board has 
sixty-four lamps, and if 24- 
c.p. lamps are used, the ca¬ 
pacity is about 250 amp.—if 
12-c.p. lamps are used, the 
capacity is about 125 amp. 

These figures are for 6-volt 
lamps. The disadvantages 
of this equipment are the 
cost of lamp renewals, and it 
can only be used on batteries 
having the same voltage as 
the lamps. For instance, if 
6-volt lights are -installed, a 
12-volt battery can not be tested unless 
the lamps are replaced with 12-volt 
lights. This equipment is not adapted 
to the general service station, but may 
be used in the-battery room operated in 
connection with an automobile service 
station which only handles one make of 
car, in which case the voltages of all 
batteries tested are the same. 

Both of the foregoing are capable of 


giving the battery a prolonged discharge 
at any rate within the range of the 
rheostat without damage. This is not 
possible with the manufactured test sets 
on the market, as the rheostats will not 
stand the excessive heat generated. 

The test set illustrated in Fig. 22 uses 
a graphite compression type of rheostat. 
The resistance is secured by the imper¬ 
fect contact of a. column of graphite 



















BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


50 

disks enclosed in a steel tube. By turn¬ 
ing the handwheel at the right, the pres¬ 
sure on the disks is increased. The more 
tightly these disks are compressed the 
smaller their resistance. This outfit is 
mounted on a wall panel, and an am¬ 
meter with a range of 300 amps, in 
either direction is included. 

In using this apparatus, all pressure 
is first removed from the rheostat and 
the battery is connected to the two ter¬ 
minals numbered 1 and 3. Turn the 
handwheel to the right until the ammeter 
indicates the desired discharge rate, and 


then, read the voltages. This unit will 
safely carry a continuous discharge cur¬ 
rent of 75 amperes from a 6-volt bat¬ 
tery or half of this amount from a 12- 
volt battery. 

The unit shown in Fig. 23 uses a 
number of different capacity resistance 
units, any or all of which may be thrown 
in at one time. It is adapted to the test 
of either a single cell or a 6-volt battery, 
and the capacity is 200 amps. If one 
cell is to be tested, the switches are 
thrown down, and up for a 6-volt bat¬ 
tery. 




CHAPTER IV 
The Cadmium Test 


T HE high rate discharge tests the 
capacity of the battery as a whole, 
but gives no information as to the 
condition of the individual groups of 
plates. This is the function of the cad¬ 
mium test as it indicates accurately 
whether any particular group of positives 
or negatives is not functioning properly. 
The exact value of the information fur¬ 
nished by this test is a matter of dispute. 
Some men regard this test as indispen¬ 
sable, and others do not consider it q£ any 
practical value. However, it has its uses, 
especially in testing the capacity of new 
and repaired batteries. 

Whenever two different metals are im¬ 
mersed in an electrolyte such as the di¬ 
lute sulphuric acid used in the automo¬ 
bile battery, a voltage is produced be¬ 
tween the two, and, if they are connected 


externally by means of a conductor, a 
current will flow. The direction of cur¬ 
rent flow is determined by the metals 
used. If copper and zinc are used, the 
current in the external circuit will pass 
from the copper to the zinc. In the stor¬ 
age battery, the relationship between 
the plates is such that the current flows 
from the plate containing the lead perox¬ 
ide to the one containing the spongy lead. 

In a similar manner, experiments have 
shown that, in a charged battery, the 
positive plate is positive with respect to 
a piece of cadmium, and that cadmium is 
positive with respect to the negative 
plate. In a discharged battery the posi¬ 
tive plate is not as strongly positive 
with respect to cadmium, but the nega¬ 
tive plate becomes positive with regard 
to the cadmium. 


51 


BATTERY SERVICE MAN/UAL 


52 

It should be evident that when the 
cadmium is positive with regard to the 
negative plate, the battery is charged, 
and when the negative plate is positive 
with respect to the cadmium, the bat- ' 
tery is discharged. 

The voltage between the positive and 
the cadmium varies between certain 
limits, the lower of which represents a 
discharged condition. 

The sum of the positive and negative 
cadmium readings or difference in the 
case of a charged battery, is equal to 
the cell voltage. 

These three facts form the basis «of 
the cadmium test of storage battery con¬ 
dition. 

The Use of the Cadmium 

The apparatus and its use are illus¬ 
trated in Fig. 24. The cadmium stick 
is protected by a perforated rubber 
cover which prevents a short circuit 
which would occur if the bare cadmium 
touched the plates. This stick is in¬ 
serted in the filling tube of the battery, 
and the voltages between it and the 
positive and negative cell terminals 


measured. For measuring the cadmium 
to positive voltage, the negative volt¬ 
meter terminal is connected to the cad¬ 
mium, and if the battery is discharged 
the same connection is used for measur¬ 
ing the cadmium to negative voltage. 
However, in the case of a charged bat¬ 
tery, the cadmium is positive with re¬ 
spect to the negative plate and, if 
the ordinary voltmeter is used, the con¬ 
nections will have to be reversed. 

The voltmeter shown in the illustra¬ 
tion is provided with a special scale so 
that any voltages obtained in the cad¬ 
mium test can be read without reversing 
the voltmeter connections. The use of 
this type of meter when making the cad¬ 
mium test is recommended. 

When not in use the cadmium stick 
should be kept immersed in weak electro¬ 
lyte. 

Cadmium readings are taken either 
while the battery is on charge or dis¬ 
charge. A suitable rate for this test 
is about Vs of the ampere hour ca¬ 
pacity of the battery. When the cell 
voltage has dropped to 1.8 volts, “the 
cadmium readings on a normal battery 


THE CADMIUM TEST 


53 



Fi£.24 


Fig. 24 —Equipment for conduct¬ 
ing cadmium test—the cadmium 
stick is inserted in the filling tube 
and the voltage between it and the 
positive and negative terminals of 
the cell measured. 


















BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


54 

will very closely approximate the fol¬ 
lowing values: 

Positive *to cadmium, 2.0 volts. 

Negative to cadmium, 0.2 volts. 

Cell voltage, 1.8 volts. 

If the voltages obtained are both equal 
to or less than these values, both the 
positive and negative plates are dis¬ 
charged. If only one of the readings is 
low, the plates on which this reading 
is obtained are further discharged than 
the plates of the other polarity. In 
other words, although both groups have 
performed the same service, the dis¬ 
charge has proceeded further in one 
group than the other. In short, the group 
on which the low reading was obtained 
has less capacity than the plates of op¬ 
posite polarity in the same cell. If 
several cycles of charge and discharge 
do not remove this condition, the battery 
will have to be torn down and the plates 
with the low capacity repaired or re¬ 
placed. The loss of capacity may be 
due to shedding, sulphation or to inequal¬ 
ities in plate capacity due to defective 
manufacture. 

A normal battery, fully charged, will 


give the following cadmium readings ap¬ 
proximately: 

Positive »to cadmium, 2.5 volts. 

Negative *to cadmium, —0.15 volts. 

Cell voltage, 2.65 volts. 

The minus sign in front of the nega¬ 
tive to cadmium voltage indicates that 
the voltmeter reading is opposite in di¬ 
rection to that obtained on the positive 
terminal. 

If the gravity of the battery comes 
up to about 1.280 and the voltage to 
about 2.6 on charge, and the cadmium 
readings have the values given above, the 
battery is fully charged. In making the 
cadmium test on a fully charged bat¬ 
tery, the finish rate for the battery 
should be used. This is approximately 
1/25 of the ampere hour capacity of the 
battery. If the positive to cadmium 
reading is less than 2.5 volts and the 
negative reading is —0.15, the positive 
plates are not fully charged and the in¬ 
dication is that they lack capacity. On 
the other hand if the positive readings 
are satisfactory and the negative read¬ 
ings are low, the negative plates lack 
capacity. The variation from the stand- 


THE CADMIUM TEST 55 


ard should not be more than 0.1 volt. 
Of course, if both readings are low the 
electrolyte probably needs balancing. 

Both the cadmium and high rate dis¬ 
charge tests are commonly used to test 
the condition of new and repaired bat¬ 
teries before putting them into service. 
The advantage of such a test is that the 
capacity of the battery is tested before 
it is put in use by the customer, and 
possible complaints avoided. 

In the table in the next column the 
minus sign indicates that the volt¬ 
meter reading is in the opposite direction 
to that obtained on the positive. When 
the positive and negative readings are 


both in the same direction, subtract to 
get the cell voltage; when in opposite 
directions, add to get the cell voltage. 

Table Showing Changes in Cadmium 
Readings on Charge 


Reading Positive to Negatiye to 


Hours of 

Across Cell 

Cadmium 

Cadmium 

Charge. 

in Volts. 

Volts. 

Volts. 

0 

2.10 

2.25 

0.15 

1 

2.17 

2.27 

0.10 

2 

2.19 

3.28 

0.09 

3 

2.21 

2.29 

0.08 

4 

2.23 

2.31 

0.08 

5 

2.24 

2.32 

0.08 

6 

2.25 

2.33 

0.08 

7 

2.30 

2.35 

0.05 

8 

2.48 

2.43 

—0.05 

9 

2.60 

2.50 

—0.10 



CHAPTER V 
Charging the Battery 


B ATTERY charging can be made to 
be the source of considerable profit 
to the service station. The prices 
ordinarily paid for this work are suffi¬ 
ciently large to allow for a considerable 
margin of profit over the cost of produc¬ 
tion. The cost of the energy required to 
charge the average battery is so small 
that practically all of the money received 
for this work can be applied to pay over¬ 
head and profit. The money to be made 
from this branch of battery service war¬ 
rants going after this class of business 
in a determined manner. 

Take for example the cost of the power 
used in charging a completely discharged 
6-volt, 100 ampere hour battery. Sup¬ 
pose that the average voltage on charge 
is 7 volts and a 10-amp. charging rate, 
is used, then 70 watt-hours of energy 


would be required for each hour the bat¬ 
tery was on charge. It would take about 
10 hours to charge this battery and the 
total energy consumption would be 700 
watt-hours. If power can be purchased 
for 10 cents a kw. hr., the cost of the 
energy supplied to the battery would be 
7 cents. If care is taken in keeping the 
charging lines loaded to capacity, the 
losses in the rheostat should not exceed 
10 or 15 per cent of the energy supplied 
by the supply line. With fourteen 6-volt 
batteries on a 110 volt line, assuming 
each requires 7 volts to force the cur¬ 
rent throught it, the rheostat would have 
to absorb 12 volts, or 11 per cent of the 
energy. Dividing this loss among 14 
batteries will increase the cost of charg¬ 
ing one battery less than one cent. 

A charge of one dollar is quite com- 


56 


CHARGING THE BATTERY 


mon for this service, so the gross profit 
is over 90 cents. From this is deducted 
the labor and overhead, but neither of 
these items is large. The balance is 
profit. 

Action on Charge Reverse of That on 
Discharge 

The actions that take place on charge 
are the reverse of those that occur on 
discharge. The electrical energy sup¬ 
plied to the battery dissociates the lead 
sulphate, part of which forms acid and 
the balance becomes active material. 
Due to the formation of acid on charge 
the specific gravity of the electrolyte 
naturally increases. Starting with a 
normal battery completely discharged 
the gravity will read about 1.150. When 
the battery is charged the gravity will 
read between 1.275 and 1.300, 1.280 being 
an average value. 

If, during the charge, voltage readings 
are taken across the cells, it will be 
found that these readings increase as 
the charge progresses. The voltage re¬ 
quired to force the charging current 
through the cell depends on two varia¬ 


57 

bles. The first is the counter-voltage 
of the cell itself, and this increases as 
the charge progresses. The second fac¬ 
tor is the internal resistance of the cell 
and it decreases as the charge continues, 
but it is so small that it is of no real 
importance. During a complete charge 
the terminal voltage of a cell will change 
from about 2.2 volts at the start up to 
about 2.6 volts at the finish. These 
figures are, of course, for normal charg¬ 
ing rates. 

Battery Troubles Show on Charge 

Some information as to the condition 
of the battery can be obtained from its 
behavior on charge. In fact, some bat¬ 
tery men use this method of diagnosing 
battery trouble to a very large extent. 
If the gravity does not come up after 
long charge or if the battery gets hot, 
it is pretty certain that conditions are 
not as they should be. If the gravity 
does not come up but otherwise the 
action of the battery is normal, the elec¬ 
trolyte needs balancing; the same remedy 
is applied if the gravity rises above 
1.300. If one cell gets warm when being 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


58 

charged at normal rates, internal trouble 
in that cell is indicated. If the voltage 
is less than that obtained on the others 
in the battery, there are probably in¬ 
ternal short circuits present. 

If, on the other hand, the voltage is 
equal to or more than that obtained 
on the other cells, the plates are very 
likely sulphated. This condition can be 
corrected where it has not proceeded 
too far by charging at about 1/24 of the 
ampere hour capacity. This charge is 
continued until the gravity becomes con¬ 
stant. If this does not correct the 
trouble, it will be necessary to tear down 
the battery and replace the sulphated 
plates. Cadmium readings are also valu¬ 
able in determining the condition of the 
plates during the charging process. This 
test makes it possible to investigate the 
way the plates are working, and the 
results are entirely independent of the 
gravity readings. 

The rates used in charging a battery 
depend on its capacity, and a good aver¬ 
age value is about 1/10 of the ampere 
hour capacity. Battery manufacturers 
usually stamp the correct charging rates 


on the name plate, and it is advisable to 
follow these rates as closely as possible. 
Heating is the factor which limits the 
size of the current used in charging. 
The temperature should at no time ex¬ 
ceed about 100 deg. Fahr. 

Batteries Charged in Series 

In general charging work it is cus¬ 
tomary to connect up a lot of batteries 
in series to the charging lines, and there 
is considerable variation in the charging 
rates specified due to the different capa¬ 
cities of the batteries being charged. 
It is, therefore, necessary to adopt some 
compromise value in practice. This value 
must be low enough not to injure the 
smallest battery and large enough to 
complete the charge within a reasonable 
time. Some stations have standardized 
on a 5-amp. rate, but for large 6-volt 
batteries this is rather low. The rated 
charging rate for the smallest battery 
on the line is also used. When the bat¬ 
tery approaches the charged condition 
the gravity will become constant and 
the evolution of gas will be very violent. 
The current should be reduced when this 


CHARGING THE BATTERY 


59 


stage is reached to the finish rate, as 
the excessive formation of gas has an 
injurious effect on the plates. 

The finish rates specified by the manu¬ 
facturers average between 25 and 50 
per cent of the starting rate. After 
reducing the current to the finish rate 
the charge should be continued until the 
gravity again becomes constant and the 
evolution of gas becomes violent. The 
important thing to remember in select¬ 
ing a charging rate is to use one that 
will not cause the battery to overheat. 

The electrical energy used in battery 
charging is either obtained from a local 
public service company or from a private 
generating plant. In either case direct 
current must be supplied to the battery, 
and if only alternating current is avail¬ 
able, it must be transformed into direct 
before it can be utilized for battery 
charging. 

Direct Current Must Be Used for 
Charging 

j Alternating current cannot be used 
for charging because the direction of 


current flow reverses periodically. Start¬ 
ing with the current at zero, it rises to 
maximum value in one direction, then 
dies down to zero and rises to an equal 
maximum value in the other direction. 
This phenomenon takes place very 
rapidly—25 times a second in a 25-cycle 
system. The number of complete rever¬ 
sals per second is called the frequency, 
and each reversal is called a cycle. 

Alternating current is ordinarily trans¬ 
mitted in either two or three phases 
—three wires being used in either case. 
The current obtained from any two wires 
will have the same frequency as that 
obtained from any two others, but the 
phase will be different. That is, the cur¬ 
rent will reach its maximum value at a 
different instant in each circuit—using 
the technical term, the phase is different. 
In ordering motor-generator sets, the 
voltage, phase and frequency of the 
supply line, and the capacity and num¬ 
ber of charging circuits desired, should 
be given. This information is usually 
obtainable from the current-meter name¬ 
plate, but if it is not given there, it can 
be secured from the power company. 


BATTERY SERVICE MAN1UAL 


60 

Rheostat Losses Reduce Efficiency 

From an efficiency standpoint, the ideal 
condition would be obtained if the 
voltage of the supply were under control 
so that the charging current could be 
regulated by changing the voltage. But 
this is not possible except in unusual 
cases. However, where it is feasible, all 
the energy drawn from the supply lines 
is furnished the battery. In the great 
majority of cases it is necessary to in¬ 
sert a rheostat in the circuit in order to 
control the current, and the energy con¬ 
sumed by it is wasted. How much this 
loss amounts to depends on the voltage 
of the charging circuit and the number 
of cells to be charged. 

The nominal cell voltage is two, but 
about 2.5 volts are required at the end 
of charge, so about fourteen 6-volt bat¬ 
teries are all that can be charged on a 
110 volt line. The sum of the battery 
voltages in this case would be 100.5 
volts. This leaves a reduction in volt¬ 
age of 9.5 for the rheostat to take care 
of. Under this condition, the batteries 
are receiving about 91 per cent of the 


power, the balance being wasted in the 
rheostat. If only one battery were being 
charged, the rheostat would absorb and 
waste about 92 per cent of the power. 
It is obvious therefore that, whenever 
possible, as many batteries should be 
connected into a charging circuit as the 
voltage of the supply will permit. 

The usual method of charging bat¬ 
teries is to connect them in series-—the 
positive side of the charging line is 
connected to the positive of the first 
battery, and the negative of this battery 
connected to the positive of the next one. 
All the batteries are connected in this 
manner, and the negative supply line is 
connected to the negative of the battery. 
If there is any doubt as to the polarity 
of the charging lines, they should be 
tested. A voltmeter can be used for this 
purpose, but it must have sufficient 
capacity to measure the voltage of the 
supply. The low range voltmeter used 
for battery work can not be used to test 
out a 110 volt line. If a suitable volt¬ 
meter is not available, the following 
method may be used: Insert the ends of 
the two charging leads into a jar of 


CHARGING THE BATTERY 


61 



PCTO/ER SUPPLY 

Fig. 25 —Charging bench us¬ 
ing Allen-Bradley charging 
panel. This has a carbon 

disk rheostat charging 


Fig. 25 


QETAIL OP CHARGING CLIP 



















BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


62 

electrolyte and the one at which the 
bubbles of gas form is the negative. 
The wires must not touch in this test. 
The battery positive is either marked 
POS, + or is painted red. 

Whenever possible, the charging rate 
used should be that which the manufac¬ 
turer has stamped on the battery name 
plate. Of course, unless all the batteries to 
be charged are of the same type, this rate 
will vary for each battery, and some 
compromise value must be used. It is 
advisable to endeavor to divide the bat¬ 
teries to be charged between the various 
charging circuits according to their 
charging rates. All the batteries that 
are to be charged will not be discharged 
to the same degree, and consequently 
some will reach a charged state sooner 
than others. This point must be watched, 
and when a battery is charged it should 
be removed from the line. 

Under no conditions should the rate 
used cause any battery to overheat, nor 
should the charging be continued after 
the gassing becomes violent. Observance 
of these points is essential to satisfactory 
work. Hydrometer readings should be 


taken frequently during the charge, and 
when the charge is complete the gravity 
should be between 1.275 and 1.300. If 
this is not the case, the gravity of the 
electrolyte should be adjusted. 

The following procedure is ordinarily 
used in battery charging: 

1— Commence charge at starting rate. 

2— Continue at this rate until cells gas 
freely. 

3— Reduce current to finish rate (This 
is from one-quarter to one-half of the 
starting rate). 

4— Continue at the finish rate until the 
cell voltage and specific gravity have 
been constant for five hours. 

5— The total time required to charge a 
completely discharged battery using 
this method is about fifteen hours. 

6— The temperature should at no time 
exceed 105 deg. Fahr. If this value 
is exceeded, discontinue charge until 
battery has cooled off to 100 deg. 

Wooden Charging Bench Best 

The bench on which the batteries are 
placed is made of wood and the construc¬ 
tion is very heavy. The entire bench is 


CHARGING THE BATTERY 


6a 



Fig. 26 — Charging bench with 
switches for cutting batteries out 
of circuit. These switches are con¬ 
nected in series and extend along 
both sides of the center partition 


detail op charging -switch connections 


CHARGING 

PANEL 




































BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


64 

thoroughly coated with acid-resisting 
paint. The height used varies somewhat 
—it must not be so high that it is an 
exertion to lift a battery off the floor 
and put it on the bench, nor must it be 
so low th£t the taking of hydrometer 
and voltage readings will be inconvenient. 
The heights used vary from about 14 
up to 30 in. The latter is more satis¬ 
factory, as convenience in making tests 
on the battery while it is on charge is 
of more importance than the extra effort 
required to lift the battery to this height. 

The usual arrangement is to place the 
rheostat and ammeter on a panel mounted 
on the end of the bench. The batteries 
are connected together with short con¬ 
necting cables, on the ends of which are 
special charging clips for attaching them 
to the battery terminals. A typical 
bench of this character is illustrated in 
Fig.. 25. This bench is adapted to use 
on any direct current circuit. If it is 
not sufficiently large to take care of the 
requirements of the station it may be 
duplicated as many times as is necessary. 

Another bench is shown in Fig. 26. 
This is arranged so that each battery on 


charge is provided with a separate 
switch. When this switch is thrown up¬ 
wards the battery is cut out of the circuit' 
without opening the charging circuit. 
This permits the removal of a battery 
Which is charged without interfering 
with the other batteries. Of course, the 
rheostat must be adjusted after remov¬ 
ing a battery in order to bring the cur¬ 
rent back to its normal value. Double 
pole, double throw switches are used 
and they are connected in series and 
arranged on each side of a partition 
dividing the bench in two. The upper 
contacts of each are short circuited and 
the lower ones have leads attached for 
connection to the battery. 

These charging benches have included 
the rheostat, but in very large stations 
where a great deal of charging is done, 
the currents supplied to the various 
benches are controlled from a central 
panel. These panels carry the rheostats 
for the various circuits as well as the 
switches controlling them. The panel 
illustrated in Fig. 27 is arranged for six 
circuits. The wiring is arranged so that 
but a single ammeter is required. For 


TO CHARGING BENCH HI POWER SUPPLY 


CHARGING THE BATTERY 


65 



cuits. The connections are so arranged that the current 
in any circuit can he measured by throwing the switch 

to the right 



























































































BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


normal charging the switches are thrown 
to the left, but if it is desired to measure 
the current in any particular circuit, the 
switch is thrown to the right. The am¬ 
meter used should have a range of about 
thirty amperes and it should be fused 
accordingly. The ammeter should not be 
used to measure the current in more than 
one circuit at a time. In the illustration, 
the connections are shown for but one 
charging circuit as the others are wired 
in exactly the same way. The wires for 
the various charging circuits run from 
the panel to the different benches. In 
using this outfit, the batteries are placed 
on the bench and connected up in the 
usual manner to the bench terminals of 
the charging circuit. The adjustment of 
the charging rate is then accomplished 
at the panel. This system may be ex¬ 
tended to any desired extent by increas¬ 
ing the number of panels. 

The lamp board, of the type shown in 
Fig. 28, is also used to a large extent 
for charging purposes. If 32 c.p. carbon 
lamps are used, any current from 1 to 
30 amp. can be obtained. If the modern 


Mazda lamps are used, 100 watt sizes 
should be installed. 

Farm Light Plants Used Where Power 
Is Not Available 

Where power is not available it is 
necessary for the station to generate its 
own, and the ordinary farm light system 
will do this work satisfactorily. If a 
lamp bank rheostat is used, the voltage 
of the lamps must be adapted to the 
voltage of the generator. 

If the power supply is alternating cur¬ 
rent, then some rectifying device must 
be inserted in the circuit. This may be 
either a rectifier or a motor generator 
set. The Tungar set 'shown in Fig. 29 
will charge from one to ten 6-volt bat¬ 
teries at a 6-amp. rate. The A. C. sup¬ 
ply is connected to the two terminals at 
the top of the rectifier, and the charging 
circuit is connected to the two lower ones. 
The use of this set is. as follows: 

1— Turn the adjusting handle to the 
left. 

2— Close the snap switch. This will 
light the bulb on the back of the board. 


67 


CHARGING THE BATTERY 


3—Turn the handle to the right until 
the desired current is obtained. If the 
supply current fails, the bulb will go out 
and the circuit open so 'the ^battery can 
not be discharged through the rectifier. 
These units are built for 110 volt circuits 
of different frequencies. 


Use of the Motor Generator 

Where considerable charging is 'to be 
done, the •motor generator set shown in 
Fig. 28 is necessary. Thi9 sort of equip¬ 
ment is also used wh§re the voltage of 
the D. C. supply is so high that its use 
would mean large rheostat losses. The 



Fig. 28— Lamp bank form of charging rheostat. The numbers at the right 
of the switches indicate the lamps controlled by each. If 16 c.p. carbon 
lights are used , this board has a capacity of 15 amps. 


































































































































































BATTERY SERVICE MAMJAL 


63 

unit consists of a motor, a generator and 
an instrument panel. Any of the charg- 



Fig. 29 —Tungar rectifier used for 
charging batteries from alternating 
current supply. The capacity is 
ten 6-volt batteries at a 6-hr. rate 


ing sets previously shown may be used 
in connection with the power supplied 
by a motor generator set. For the aver¬ 
age station, a 40-volt generator is de¬ 
sirable. This allows for five 6-volt bat- 
teries on each charging circuit. The 
generator is rated in watts, and about 
75 watts of capacity is required for 
each battery to be charged. A 750 watt, 
40-volt generator would charge about ten 
6-volt batteries divided between two 
charging circuits. The capacity should 
fit the needs of the station very closely 
as the set runs at highest efficiency when 
fully loaded. 

Inasmuch as the manufacturers of 
battery charging apparatus furnish com¬ 
plete instruction for its installation and 
use, there is no need of going into th?s 
phase in greater detail. The foregoing 
discussion is for the purpose of showing 
the different methods of charging bat¬ 
teries and how different local conditions 
are met. 

The tables printed on pages 71 to 75 
give the recommended charging rates for 
a number of different makes of batteries. 
In all cases the value given is the starting 






CHARGING THE BATTERY 


rate; the finish rate used is about one- 
third of this figure. 

Table Showing Current Carrying Capacities 
of Various Lamps for TJse in Figuring Ca¬ 
pacities of Lamp Bank Rheostats. 


Candle- 


Type 

Voltage 

Watts 

power 

Current 

Mazda B 

6-8 

— 

15 

2 y 2 

Mazda C 

6-8 

— 

21 

2% 

Mazda B 

12-16 

— 

15 

1 

Mazda C 

12-16 

— 

21 

1 

Mazda B 

110 

25 

— 

y. 


110 

50 

— 

y 2 

Mazda C 

110 

75 

— 

% 


110 

100 

— 

i 

Carbon 

110 

— 

16 

y 2 


110 

— 

32 

i 


If the lamps are connected in parallel, 
multiply current given here by number 
of lamps to ‘get capacity of rheostat. 

If lamps are connected in series, the 
current of one lamp is the capacity of the 
rheostat. 

Balancing the Electrolyte 

When the charge is complete, as in¬ 
dicated by constant gravity readings for 
a period of five hours, or by the cadmium 


69 

test, the gravity of the electrolyte in all 
cells ’should be between 1.275 and 1.300. 
If the gravity in one or more cells does 



Fig. 30— Motor-generator set with 
switchboard 










BATTERY SERVICE MANIUAL 


70 

not come between these limits, it should 
be adjusted so that it does read between 
these values. This process is called 
balancing the electrolyte. 

If the gravity reads over 1.300, with" 
draw some of the electrolyte and re¬ 
place with distilled water. Either the 
hydrometer or a special syringe made 
out of glass tubing with a rubber bulb 
on one end may be used for this pur¬ 
pose, but the latter is preferable as it 
is an inexpensive matter to repair it in 
case of breakage. The amount of water 
added will depend on how much the 
gravity exceeds 1.300, and ability to 
judge the right amount comes only with 
experience. After adding water the 
battery should be put on charge at the 
finish rate until the gravity is again 
constant. If the hydro-meter does not 
then give a reading within the required 
limits, the process will have to be re¬ 
peated. 


If the gravity reads less than 1.275, 
some of the electrolyte should be with¬ 
drawn and replaced with 1.400 acid. The 
battery is then placed on charge at the 
finish rate until the gravity is constant. 
Here again ability to judge the correct 
amount of acid to be added the first 
time comes with experience. If at the 
end of the charge the gravity of the 
electrolyte is above or below the limit, 
acid or water should be added as re¬ 
quired, and the battery put on charge 
again. 

The activity of the electrolyte in¬ 
creases as its temperature increases, so 
in tropical climates it is advisable to 
use electrolyte of lower gravity than 
that specified for temperate zones. Satis¬ 
factory results will be obtained if the 
gravity of 'the electrolyte used is about 
70 points lower than the values specified 
as standard in this article. 


Charging Rates for Eight Different 
Makes of Batteries 

Battery types printed in bold face are lighting batteries 


Vesta Batteries 

rp Charging Rate 

in Amperes 

24S5, 24L5, 24S5D. 1% 

12S7, 18S7, 24S7, 12U7, 12L7, 

16L7, 18L7, 24L7. 2*4 

6A-5 . 2 V z 

12S9, 16S9, 18S9, 12L9, 16L9, 

18L9, 24L9. 3 

6A-7 . 3V 2 

6S11, 12S11, 18S11, 12U9, 6L11, 

12L11, 16L11, 18L11. 4 

6A-9, 6S13, 6U11, 6L13, 12L13, 

6TL13 . AVz 

6S15, 12S15, 6TJ13, 6L15, 12L15, 

8S15D . 5 

6A-11, 6S17, 6L17, 6H11. 6 

6A-13, 6S19, 6L19. 7 

6S21, 6L21. IV 2 

6S23, 6L23, 6H15, 6H15D. 8 

6A-15 . 8 y 2 


Columbia Batteries 

Charging Rate 
in Amperes 

G123H . 1% 

D125TS, .D155Z, H125HS, LD35A. 2 
D67KS, D67L, D67M, D87P, 

H67KS, H67E, H67Y, H97G, 

E127Q, E127T, LD37V. 3 

R67KS .. 3 V 2 

D67KS, D89RS, H69L, H69YS, 

H99G, LD39A . 4 

H311JS, LD311A . 5 

I69U, R311A, R611L, D313A, 

D313D, H313A, H 3 1 3 D, 

H611KS, LD313A . 6 

1311A, R313A, R313D, D315A, 

H315D, H 4 1 5 C, H615FS, 

LD315A .-. 7 

C313D, I313A, R315A, R315D... 8 

I315A, D319A, D319X, H319A, 
E319JS, LD319A . 9 


71 























72 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


U S L Batteries 


1—Types A-, AD-, ADL-, AL-, 
D-, EDC-, F-, FL-, LA-, 
LAB- 


Number 


Charging Rate 
in Amperes 


Number 

-317, 

-319 

-321 

-323 


Charging Rate 
in Amperes 

-617 . 18 

. 20 

. 23 

. 25 


-307, -607, -807, -907. 6 

-309, -609, -809, -909. 8 

-311, -611, -811, -911. 10 

-313, -613, -813, -913. 12 

-315, -615, -815. 14 

-317, -617. 16 

-319 . 18 

-321 . 20 

-323 . 22 

2— Type EL- 

-307, -607, -1207. 5 

-309, -609, -1209... 6% 

-311, -611, -1211. 8y 2 

-313, -613 . 10 

-315, -615 . 11% 

3— Types C-, CDC-, CD-, CDL-, CL- 

-307, -607, -807, -907. 7 

-309, -609, -809, -909. 9 

-311,-611,-811,-911. 11 

-313, -613, -813, -913. 14 

-315, -615, -815. 16 


4— Type K 

-303, -603, -1203. 2 

-305, -605; -1205. 4 

-307, -607, -1207. 6 

-309, -609, -1209. 8 

-311,-611,-1211. 10 

5— Types G-, GD-, GDL-, GL- 

-307, -607, -807, -907. 8% 

-309, -609, -809, -909. 11% 

-311, -611, -811, -911. 14% 

-313, -613, -813, -913. 17% 

-315, -615, -815. 20% 

-317, -617. 23% 

-319 . 26% 

-321 . 29% 

-323 . 32 

6— Type HD- 

-311 .. 12 

-313 . 15 

-315 . 17%' 














































CHARGING THE BATTERY 


73 


Prest-O-Lite Batteries 


Type 


Charging Rate 
in Amperes 


243GM6 . 1% 

305WH, 65WHL . 2 

127WMN, 127WHN, 67WHNL, 

67WHP . 3 

107RHN, 127RHN, 167WHN.... 3% 

129WHN, 169WHN, 69WHNL.. 4 

611WHN, 611JFN, 89RHN, 

129RHN, 1211WHN, 


611WHNL . 5 

611RHN, 611RHNS, 613WHN, 
613JFN, 1211RHN, 1213WHN, 

613WHNL . 6 

613RHN, 615WHN, 615JFN, 

615WHNL . 7 

611BHN . 7V 2 

6 13CM, 615RHN, 619WHNL.... 8 

613BHN, 619WHN, 619WHNP, 

619JFN . 9 

615BHN, 619RHN . 10 


Type 


Luthy Batteries 


Charging Rate 
in Amperes 


6A5S, 12A5S, 12B5DS. 2 

6A7S, 8A7S, 12A7DS, 6B7S, 

6B7DL, 9B7TL . 3 


TvRe Charging Rate 

J * in Amperes 

6C7S. 3 v 2 

6A9S, 6A9DL, 8A9S, 6B9S, 

6B9TL . 4% 

6C9S, 6C9DL . 5 

3A11S, 3A11L, 6A11S, 8A11S, 

3B11S, 3B11C, 6B11S, 9B11TL. 6 
3A13S, 3A13L, 6A13S, 3B13S, 

3B13L, 6B13S, 3C11S, 3C11L, 


6C11S, 6C11DL, 6D9S. 8 

3A15S, 3A15L, 6A15S, 3B15S, 

3B15L, 6B15DL, 3C13S, 3C13L, 

3C13C, 3D11S . 10 

3C15S, 3C15L . 11% 

3A19S, 3A19L, 3B19S, 3B19L... 13 

3C17S . 13% 

3D15S, 3D15C . 15 

3A23S . 16% 

3D19L . 17% 

Exide Batteries 

rp Charging Rate 

1 yp® in Amperes 

KZ-3, ZA-5 . 1 

ZA-7 . 1% 

LX-5, LXR-5, LXRE-5. 3 

EXD-5, XC-9 . 4 

JX-11, SX-9, XC-11, XE-11. 5 




























74 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Type 


Exide (Continued) 


Charging Rate 
in Amperes 


JX-14, KXD-7, LXR-9, LXRE-9, 

XC-13, XE-13 . 6 

JX-15, SX-13, XC-15, XE-15.... 7 

KXD-9, LXR-11, XC-17. 8 

JX-19, LXR-13, LXRE-13, XC-19, 

XE-19 . 9 

KXD-11, LXR-15, LXRE-15, 

LXRV-15, XC-21, XE-21. 10 

XC-23 . 11 

LX-17, LXR-17, LXRE-17, XC-25. 12 
MHA-11, PHA-13, PHC-13. 8 


Type 


Gould Batteries Charging Rate 
in Amperes 


Tyne Charging Rate 

in Amperes 

3—BSL-, BEL-, BSH-, BEH-, 

BML-, BHG-, BSPH-, BSLP- 


Number 

-620, -820, -1220, -1620, 

-1820, -2420, -3020. 4 

-635, -835, -1235, -1635, 

-1835, -2435.. 6 

-650, -850, -1250, -1650, 

-1850, -2450. 9 

-670. -870, -1270, -1670, 

-1870 . 11 

-695, -895 . 13 

-610, -810. 16 

-655 . 21 


1— 1-2413 . 2 

2— ASL-, ASLR-, AEL-, AELR-, 

ACH-, ACHR-, AIG- 
Number 

-625, -1225, -2425, -3025.... 5 


-645, -1245, -2445. 7 

-663, -1263. 10 

-681, -1281. 13 

-699 . 16 

-615. 18 

-632 . 21 


4— BSHH-, BEHH- 

-1280 . 13 

-610 . 16 

-630 . 20 

-675 . 23 

5— ES-, EE-, ESJ-, EEJ-, ESK-, 

EEK- 

-678 . 13 

-692 . 15 

-635 . 21 

6— F-614, G-616, GMV-616. 18 






























Type 
43 . 

63 . 

73 . 

93 . 

Y-1G0-120 


CHARGING THE BATTERY 

Witherbee Batteries Size of Cell in Battery 


Charging Rate Type Charging Rate 

in Amperes in Ampeifes 

... 3 WR and WH 20, WL-35. 3 

WR and WH 25, WL-50. 4 

••• 4 WR and WH 50. 5 

. WR and WH 60, WL-60. 6 

WR and WH 80, WL-80. 7 

...7 WR and WH 100 , WG-80, 

WL -100 . 8 

••• 8 WR and WH 120, WG-120. 9 















CHAPTER VI 

Shop Methods in General 


T HE results of the various tests 
which have been described in previ¬ 
ous chapters will indicate what re¬ 
pairs are necessary. Certain phases of 
battery repair work are standard, but 
the peculiarities of construction of each 
make of battery necessitate certain oper¬ 
ations which are special. This chapter 
deals with the general features of bat¬ 
tery repair work. 

The liquid in which the plates of the 
storage battery are immersed is a mix¬ 
ture of sulphuric acid and pure water. 
Distilled water is commonly used for this 
purpose, although melted artificial ice or 
rain water that has been collected in a 
clean, non-metallic receptacle may be 
used. Water that is pure for drinking 
purposes is not necessarily free from 


minerals which would cause serious 
trouble in the battery. Distilled water 
may be purchased or made in a shop 
still. The process involves the boiling 
of water in a closed vessel and condens¬ 
ing the steam formed. The condensate 
is distilled water. 

Ordinary commercial sulphuric acid is 
not suitable for battery use. The acid 
used for this purpose is known as 
“Chemically pure,” or briefly “c. p.”—it 
is sometimes designated as battery acid. 
This class of acid is shipped in large 
glass carboys contained in wood crates. 
It is a heavy, oily liquid, and in the con¬ 
centrated form weighs 1.83b times as 
much as water. It is very active and 
will attack practically everything ex¬ 
cept glass or porcelain. For this reason 


76 


SHOP METHODS IN GENERAL 


special care must be exercised in han¬ 
dling it. Three devices for this purpose 
are shown in Fig. 31. In the first, rockers 
are attached to the side of the crate 
containing the carboy. In the second 
the acid is forced out of the carboy by 
applying air pressure to its surface, 
and in the third, the syphon principle is 
made use of. 

Hydrometer Measures Specific Gravity 

The density of a liquid is usually de¬ 
termined by comparing the weight of 
a certain volume of it with an equal 
volume of water, and this ratio is the 
specific gravity. The specific gravity 
of concentrated sulphuric acid is 1.835. 
The syringe type of hydrometer is the 
most convenient instrument for measur¬ 
ing the gravity of the electrolyte. It 
consists of a closed glass tube in the 
form of a short barrel with a longer glass 
stem containing a scale graduated from 
1.100 at the top down to about 1.400 at 
the bottom. The hundredths points are 
also indicated so that the gravity can 
be read directly to the second decimal 


71 

place and estimated to the third. The 
weight of the hydrometer is so adjusted 
and balanced that it floats upright in 
any liquid which has a gravity of 1.100 
or greater. 

In order to make it more convenient 
to use, it is contained in a large syringe 
which operates on the same principle 
as the ordinary fountain pen filler. The 
body of this syringe is made of glass 
or other transparent material so that the 
hydrometer scale is visible. At one end 
is the rubber bulb for drawing the liquid 
into the syringe and at the other is a 
short length of rubber tubing which is 
inserted into the liquid. 

The Use of the Hydrometer 

The hydrometer and its use in measur¬ 
ing the gravity of the electrolyte in a 
battery is shown in Fig. 32. The steps 
in making this determination are as 
follows: 

1— Remove the filling plugs. 

2— Squeeze the bulb. 

3— Insert the tube on the end of the 
hydrometer in the filling tube. The end 


78 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 




Fig. 32 — Method of using the 
syringe type of hydrometer to de¬ 
termine the gravity of the electro¬ 
lyte in the cell 


of the hydrometer tube must be below 
the level of the electrolyte. 

4— Allow the bulb to expand slowly. 
This will draw the electrolyte up into the 
body of the syringe and the hydrometer 
will float. 

5— With the syringe in a vertical posi¬ 
tion and the hydrometer floating freely 
read the scale at the point opposite the 
level of the liquid in the syringe. This 
is the specific gravity. 

6 — Return the liquid in the hydrometer 
to the cell from which it was withdrawn. 

Electrolyte should be mixed in glass, 
earthenware or lead lined receptacles. 
No other metal should be allowed to come 
in contact with either of the ingredients 
of the electrolyte at any time. In mix¬ 
ing the two, the acid should always be 
added to the water. Failure to observe 
this precaution is liable to' have serious 
results due to the heat generated by the 
mixture. The liquid should be stirred 
continually with a wood paddle while the 
acid is being added. Allow the mixture 
to cool before any specific gravity read¬ 
ings are made. The simplest way to 
measure a liquid is by volume, and a 






SHOP METHODS 

table is given showing what specific 
gravities are obtained by combining dif¬ 
ferent proportions of water and concen¬ 
trated sulphuric acid. 


Parts 

Parts 


of water 

of water 


to one part 

to one part 


of sulphuric 

of sulphuric 


acid 

acid 

Specific 

by volume 

by weight 

Gravity 

IV 2 

0.8 

1.410 

2 

1.1 . 

1.340 

S 

1.7 

1.260 

4 

2.2 

1.210 

5 

2.7 

1.180 

6 

3.3 

1.150 


Liquids, in common with most other 
substances, expand as the temperature 
rises and consequently the specific grav¬ 
ity decreases. For electrolyte the change 
amounts to a decrease of three points 
in the gravity for each ten degrees of 
temperature rise. For example, if the 
gravity of an electrolyte is 1.270 at 70 
deg. Fahr., and the temperature is in¬ 
creased to 90 deg., the gravity will de¬ 
crease to 1.264, although the proportion 
of acid to water in the electrolyte has 
not been changed. The standard temper¬ 
ature is 70 deg., and readings taken at 


IN GENERAL 


79 


other temperatures should be corrected 
to standard. 

The thermometer is, of course, used 
to measure temperature, and special 
forms have been designed which are es¬ 
pecially adapted to battery work. 


Charged Battery Will Not Freeze 


As long as a battery is in a charged 
condition, there is no chance of its freez¬ 
ing, but if the gravity falls much below 
1.250 the danger zone is approached. 


Specific Gravity 
1.100 
1.150 
1.200 
1.250 
1.300 


Freezing Point 
in Deg. Fahr. 
18 
5 

—16 

—58 

—96 


In all batteries the plates are welded 
to lead connecting straps, and, in mogt 
cases, adjacent cells of a battery are 
joined by means of lead connectors 
which are welded to the posts. This 
welding process is known to the battery 
man as lead burning, and he describes 
joints made by this process as burned 
joints. Due to the fluidity of molten 
lead considerable experience is necessary 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


80 

before a workmanlike job can «be done. 

The use of gas for this work is recom¬ 
mended, and $the selection of the right 
combination depends on the availability 
and relative cost of the different gases 
in the locality of the service station. 
The following combinations are in com¬ 
mon use: 

1— Air and artificial illuminating gas. 

2— Air and hydrogen. 

3— Oxygen and artificial illuminating 
gas. 


4— Oxygen and natural gas. 

5— Oxygen and acetylene. 

6 — Oxygen and hydrogen. 

In any case the gases used must be 
under pressure. If gas from the city 
supply is used the pressure at which it 
is furnished is usually sufficient. An air 
or oxygen pressure of about 10 lb. at 
the burner is required. Oxygen, hydro¬ 
gen and acetylene may all be purchased 
in steel cylinders in which they are com¬ 
pressed to a very high pressure. 



Fig. 31— Three different methods of getting acid out of the carboy. The 
rockers illustrated at the left are detachable. The middle figure uses a 
pressure system and the one on the right works on the syphon principle 







































SHOP METHODS IN GENERAL 

Table Showing Effect of Temperature on Specific Gravity 


30 

40 

50 

1.314 

1.310 

1.307 

1.304 

1.300 

1.297 

1.294 

1.290 

1.287 

1.284 

1.280 

1.277 

1.274 

1.270 

1.267 

1.264 

1.260 

1.257 

1.254 

1.250 

1.247 

1.244 

1.240 

1.237 

1.234 

1.230 

1.227 

1.224 

1.220 

1.217 

1.114 

1.210 

1.207 

1.104 

1.200 

1.197 

1.194 

1.190 

1.187 

1.184 

1.180 

1.177 

1.174 

1.170 

1.167 

1.164 

1.160 

1.157 


60 

70 

80 

1.304 

1.300 

1.297 

1.294 

1.290 

1.287 

1.284 

1.280 

1.277 

1.274 

1.270 

1.267 

1.264 

1.260 

1.257 

1.254 

1.250 

1.247 

1.244 

1.240 

1.237 

1.234 

1.230 

1.227 

1.224 

1.220 

1.217 

1.214 

1.210 

1.207 

1.204 

1.200 

1.197 

1.194 

1.190 

1.187 

1.184 

1.180 

1.177 

1,174 

1.170 

1.167 

1.164 

1.160 

1.157 

1.154 

1.150 

1.147 


90 

100 

110 

1.294 

1.290 

1.287 

1.284 

1.280 

1.277 

1.274 

1.270 

1.267 

1.264 

1.260 

1.257 

1.254 

1.250 

1.247 

1.244 

1.240 

1.237 

1.234 

1.230 

1.227 

1.224 

1.220 

1.217 

1.214 

1.210 

1.207 

1.204 

1.200 

1.197 

1.194 

1.190 

1.187 

1.184 

1.180 

1.177 

1.174 

1.170 

1.167 

1.164 

1.160 

1.157 

1.154 

1.150 

1.147 

1.144 

1.140 

1.137 


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Lead Burning Apparatus 

The apparatus consists of a burning 
tip, a mixing chamber and sufficient hose 
to permit of easy operation of the out¬ 
fit. Where city gas is used it is cus¬ 
tomary to install a water seal in the 
gas line to prevent backfire. An installa¬ 
tion of this type of apparatus is shown 


in Fig. 33. Both the gas and the air 
lines should be provided with regulating 
valves in addition to the usual shut-off 
valves. In order to secure the hottest 
flame, the air and gas must be intimately 
mixed and their relative proportions 
must be correct. Both the gas and air 
lines open into the mixing chamber 
where they are thoroughly mixed. The 



82 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


functions of the regulating valves is to 
permit the operator to regulate the pro¬ 
portions and pressure of the gases. 

The correctness of the proportions of 
air and gas can best be judged by the 



Fig. 33 —One form of lead burning 
apparatus for use with city gas 
and compressed air. The water seal 
is on the table at the right 


appearance of the flame. If not enough 
air is being supplied the flame will be 
yellow and weak, but if too much air is 
being used, the flame will have a brushy 
appearance. When correct proportions 
are obtained the smaller cone at the 
burning tip should be between *4 and *4 
in. long, and should be clear and well 
defined. The flame itself should be long 
and narrow, and its limits should be well 
defined. The correct color is a fairly 
dark blue with no yellow. 

Before doing any work on the battery 
with the torch, the space between the elec¬ 
trolyte and the cell cover should be blown 
out with a hand bellows. This precau¬ 
tion is essential as explosive gases are 
formed by the battery and, unless they 
are removed, they will be ignited by the 
flame. It is a good plan to cover the 
vents with a damp cloth when using the 
torch. In any case after blowing out 
with the bellows, test each cell with the 
flame to make sure that the gases have 
been removed. In performing the test, 
the flame should be held at arm’s length 
so that if an explosion results the me¬ 
chanic will not be injured. 






SHOP METHODS IN GENERAL 


Lead Burning with Electricity 

There are two other methods of doing 
lead burning, both of which use electric 
heat. The outfit shown in Fig. 34 is 
designed to operate on alternating cur¬ 
rent, and consists of a special welding 


83 

transformer and a carbon pencil. One 
wire from the secondary is connected 
to the part to be burned and the other 
is connected to the carbon pencil. When 
the pencil is brought in contact with 
the part to be burned the intense heat 



Fig. 34 —Electric lead burning transformer. This type of apparatus is 
adapted to the small station where gas is not available 








BATTERY SERVICE MANiUAL 


84 

generated by the arc melts the lead. 
This apparatus is adapted to the small 
service station where city gas is not 
available. Another form of electric lead 
burning apparatus is used in connection 
with a spare battery. One terminal of 
the 'battery is connected to the part to 
be -burned and the other battery ter¬ 
minal is connected to the carbon burning 
outfit. The operation is similar to the 
outfit described previously. The point 
of the carbon in both cases should be 
kept sharp, and it should be cooled off 
occasionally by plunging it in water. 
Any scale which forms on the tip must 
also be cleaned off. 

Before dismantling a battery it is 
advisable to make a sketch of the cell 
and terminal arrangement, so that, when 
the assembly is undertaken, the diagram 
will be available as a guide to show ithe 
proper placing of the parts. Most cars 
have either cell or terminal arrangements 
which are peculiar to themselves, and if 
the rebuilt battery is to fit the car and 
its cables, these peculiarities must be 
duplicated. 


Removing Connectors 

The first step in dismantling a battery 
is to remove the connectors. The best 
way to do this is to drill them off. A 
% or %-in. drill, in connection with 
either a brace or a wall drill, is the tool 
used for this ‘purpose. The operations 
in removing a connector are as follows: 

1— Center punch the connector at each 
end, directly over the centers of the 
posts. 

2— Drill the connector at each end to 
a depth of 14 in. 

3— Grasp the middle of the connector 
with a pliers and work back and forth 
until it comes off. An alternate way is 
to pry the connector off with a screw 
driver. Care must be taken not to bend 
the post. 

•4—Brush the lead shavings off the top 
of the battery. 

It is important to center * punch the 
connector before drilling. Many times a 
mechanic -will omit this step and the re¬ 
sult is that the hole is badly off center. 
This does not interfere with the removal 
of the connector to any great extent, 


SHOP METHODS 


but when it is burned on, the wall of. 
metal is so thin 'that <the connector 
usually runs over on the weak side. It 
takes a great deal .more time to repair 
a run-over connector than to center punch 
the ends before drilling. 

Connectors are burned off in some 
shops. The lead burning torch is used 
to melt the two ends of the connector 
directly over the tops of the ‘posts. The 
flame must be kept moving and care 
must be taken not to melt the edges of 
the connector as it will run over. The 
center portions of the connector ends 
should both be brought *to a molten condi¬ 
tion simultaneously, and the connector 
can then be worked off. 

The next operation is to soften the 
compound with wsh'ich the battery is 
sealed, so that the elements can be with¬ 
drawn. The best way to do this is in 
a steamer. There are two types of 
steamer—in one the steam is supplied 
through the filling tubes to the interior 
of the cells, and in the other the entire 
battery is placed in a steam chest. 

In the first case, the apparatus con¬ 
sists of a boiler which is ^provided with 


IN GENERAL 85 

a number of hose connections, usually 
about six. The ends of the hose are 
placed in the filling tubes -of the bat¬ 
tery, and the steam turned on. In the 
second case, the battery is placed in a 
steam tight box, which is supplied with 
steam from the boiler. The steam pres¬ 
sure used is about 5 lb., and the entire 
operation takes between five and ten min¬ 
utes. The boiler should be provided with a 
gage glass and safety valve. The steam¬ 
ing should be continued until the com¬ 
pound is soft, but not liquid, *as in this 
condition it will run down on the plates 
when they are removed. 

The Use of Hot Knives 

An alternate .method of opening a 
battery is to soften the compound with 
a flame. It is then dug out with a hot 
chisel or screwdriver while it is in a 
plastic state. The flame must be kept 
moving around the cover, as if it is 
allowed to play on one spot too long the 
cover will be burned. 

Before removing the elements it is a 
good plan to run a hot knife around the 
jar walls to separate any compound that 


86 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


may be sticking. The battery is then 
placed on the floor and held between the 
mechanic’s feet. The posts are gripped 
with pliers and the elements pulled out 
with a strong, steady pull. As the groups 
are removed they are placed cornerwise 
in the top of the jars to drain. 

The next step is to remove .the cover, 
and the procedure here varies with the 
make of battery. This part of the work 
will be discussed later in connection 
with the detailed repair of each battery. 
After the covers have been removed 
they should be thoroughly cleaned and 
then inspected for cracks or breaks. If 
none are discovered, the covers should 
be saved for future use. 

The separators are now removed, and 
in order to accomplish this the plates 
are pried apart with a knife. If the 
separators are of wood they should be 
discarded. It is now an easy matter to 
separate the groups. The plates should 
be carefully inspected for bulged or shed 
active material, and buckling. If con¬ 
siderable active .material has been lost, 
new plates will of course have to be 
installed. If the plates are «but slightly 


bulged or buckled they can be put in 
serviceable condition by pressing, but 
they should never be pressed in a dis¬ 
charged condition. 

A good way to handle this work is 
to insert new separators, place the groups 
in an oversize jar, and then place on 
charge at the finish rate, using about 
1.100 gravity electrolyte. When the 
gravity has «become constant and the 
cadmium readings show the battery to 
be charged, the plates should be removed 
and the groups separated. Boards of 
suitable thickness are inserted between 
the plates and they are then pressed flat 
in a vise, as shown in Fig. 35, or in a 
special plate press which is designed 
along the lines of the old fashioned letter 
press. 

Exposure to Air Causes Negatives to 
Heat 

If the plates are in usable condition 
they should not «be allowed to stand 
exposed to the air unless all acid is 
thoroughly washed out of them. If the 
battery is not to be rebuilt immediately 
they should be placed in water. If the 


SHOP METHODS 

negatives are allowed to stand exposed 
to air with acid in their pores, they will 
heat up very rapidly and cause serious 
damage to themselves. 

A positive plate in good condition has 
a dark reddish-brown appearance. The 
active material is firm but not hard, and 
its surface should be reasonably smooth. 

A normal negative plate has the char¬ 
acteristic lead color and the active ma¬ 
terial is in a spongy condition. The 
active material expands somewhat on 
discharge, but this slight bulging will 
disappear when the battery is placed 
on charge. Causes for rejection of a 
plate are excessive buckling, shedding, 
bulging or sulphation. 

It is not necessary to remove the jars 
from the case except in the case of a 
broken one. If the jars are intact, any 
compound which may be stuck to their 
sides should be scraped off with a hot 
knife. The jars should then be thor¬ 
oughly flushed to remove all sediment 
and other dirt which may have collected 
in the bottoms of the jars. 


IN GENERAL 87 

Removing a Broken Jar 
In case it is necessary to remove a 
jar, the method used is fairly standard, 
although some variations are made neces- 



Fig. 35 —Pressing plates in a vise. 
The hoards inserted between the 
plates must fit the spacing of the 
group 

sary to meet the peculiarities of the 
construction of the different makes of 
batteries. Ordinarily the jars are held 
in place by friction or by compound. In 











88 


BATTERY SERVICE MAN/UAL 



either case it is advisable to run a hot 
knife between the jars and the case to 
loosen any compound which may be stuck 
between them. Then heat the interior 
of the jars with a torch. This will not 
only soften up any compound which may 
be holding the jars, but will also make 
them more pliable and less brittle. The 
flame must be kept moving as otherwise 
the jars will be burned. 

The battery steamer is very often used 
instead of the flame to soften the coni' 
pound and jars preparatory to their re¬ 
moval. The sides of the jars are now 
grasped on opposite sides with pliers 
with long, flat jaws. In pulling the jars 
out care must be taken not to distort 
the walls any more than is absolutely 
necessary, as hard rubber is rather in¬ 
elastic. 

A simple device for testing a jar for 
cracks is shown in Fig. 36. It consists 
of a lead lined tank containing electro- 


Fig. 36 — This outfit will detect 
cracks in a jar that has passed the 
ordinary inspection 































SHOP METHODS 


lyte at such a height that a jar resting 
on the bottom will project slightly above 
the surface of the liquid. The testing 
circuit consists of a metal plug with an 
incandescent lamp. One side of the 
power supply is connected with the 
electrolyte in the tank and the other 
side is connected to the lamp. The metal 
plug is inserted in the electrolyte in 
the jar, and if there is a crack present 
the lamp will light. 

The battery is now completely dis¬ 
assembled with the exception of the 
plates. Each cell contains a group of 
positive and a group of negative plates, 
and there is always one more plate on 
the negative group than on the positive. 
The plates are provided with lugs by 
which they are attached to the connect¬ 
ing strap. These straps also carry the 
posts which form the cell terminals. 
If it is necessary to remove one plate 
from a group, it is sawed out with the 
ordinary metal hand saw. The group is 
set up in a vise, and a cut taken in 
the connecting strap on each side of the 
lug. The plate can then be pulled out. 


89 


IN GENERAL 

The Plate Burning Rack 

If a new group is to be made up, a 
rack of the type shown in Fig. 37 is 
necessary. The height of the cross 
member is adjustable so that plates of 
different sizes can be handled. The 
sequence of the operations is as follows: 

1 — Adjust the cross member to the 
proper height. 

2 — Set the desired number of plates 
in the slots of the rack. The lugs should 
be brightened up with a coarse file to 



Fig. 37 —The use of a rack is es¬ 
sential to plate burning. Without 
it, it is impossible to secure proper 
spacing 






BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


90 

remove all dirt which would interfere 
with the burning. 

3— Place the connecting strap on the 
cross member. The ends of the lugs on 
the plates fit in the slots in the strap. 

4— Put a short piece of square stock 
at each end of the strap to form the ends 
of the mold. 

5— Adjust the flame, and then, using 
the tip of the cone, melt the tops of the 
lugs and the adjacent portions of the 
strap. When both are molten add suffi¬ 
cient metal from the lead stick to give 
the strap the desired thickness. Finish 
the job in a workmanlike manner by 
giving the top of the strap a smooth 
appearance. This can be done with the 
flame. 

In removing the connectors, the taps 
of the posts are damaged, and it is 
necessary to rebuild them before the 
connectors are replaced. Special post 
molds are used for this purpose. These 
molds are in the form of steel collars 
which slip over the top of the post. 
The post is brought to a molten state 
first and then sufficient lead is burned off 
the stick to bring the post to the proper 


height. The Society of Automotive 
Engineers has adopted the following 
standard taper post dimensions: 

Small diameter of negative 

post . % in. 

Small diameter of positive 

post .11/16 in. 

Taper per foot. 1% in. 

Minimum length of taper. .11/16 in. 

When straight terminal posts are used 
the following dimensions are standard: 

Diameter of post (positive 

and negative) .11/16 in. 

Minimum clear length of 
post.13/16 in. 

Assembling the Battery 

The assembly of the battery is prac¬ 
tically the reverse of the disassembly. 
The first step is to put the groups 
together and insert the separators. 
Wooden separators must be stored in a 
moist condition, and they should only 
be removed from the storage tank as 
used. The operations involved in in- 







SHOP METHODS IN GENERAL 


sorting new separators are as follows: 

1— Place the two groups on their sides 
on the bench. 

2— Each separator should be inspected 
for cracks before it is inserted. Hold¬ 
ing them up to the light will show up 
the presence of any such breaks. 

3— Starting at the center of the 
groups, insert the separators alternately 
on each side of the center plate. Care 
must be taken to have the separator 
ribs next to the positive plates and to 
have them parallel to the plate edges 
that are vertical when the battery is 
assembled. 

4— After all the separators are in¬ 
serted a few sharp blows with a large 
flat stick will bring their edges flush 
with the edges of the plates. 

The two groups with the separators 
form an element. The completed ele¬ 
ments are now placed in the jars, with 
positive and negative cell terminals so 
arranged that the battery terminals will 
come in the proper position. A lead 
stick is then cut up into lengths suitable 
to the distance between adjacent cell 
terminals and these pieces are burned 


91 

on to the posts where they serve tem¬ 
porarily as cell connectors. The posi¬ 
tive terminal is marked by burning on 
a small piece of lead stick. The jars 
are filled with electrolyte to the proper 
level. The gravity of the electrolyte 
used for this purpose is 1.400 at most. 
There is considerable variation in this 
figure, and this subject will be gone in¬ 
to more fully later. The battery is then 
placed on charge and its action very 
closely observed, frequent voltmeter and 
hydrometer readings being taken to de¬ 
termine its condition. 

Charging the battery in this manner 
before sealing it up is advisable as it 
is a check on the repairs and on the 
quality of the plates. It is a much 
simpler matter to make a correction 
now than after the covers have been 
put on and sealed. The use of the 
cadmium test, and a short high rate 
discharge test at the end of the charge, 
is also advisable as a precaution. 

The next step is to replace the covers, 
and these should be softened up with the 
flame or by soaking in boiling water, as 
this will reduce the possibility of break- 


BATTERY SERVICE MAN,UAL 


92 

age. The sealing compound is then 
poured into position. The last step is 
to burn on the connector and the battery 
terminals. Before any burning is done 
the parts that are to be welded together 
should be cleaned with a coarse file and 
a wire brush. The connectors and ter¬ 
minals are then placed over the posts 
and tapped into position with a wooden 
mallet. This job of lead burning is very 
difficult, as a little carelessness will re¬ 
sult in a run-over connector. The top 
of the post should first be melted after 
which the joint between the connector 
and the post is made. Whatever lead 
is necessary to make a smooth joint is 
added from a lead stick. The top of the 
connector over the posts should be 
slightly rounded. Before burning on 
the terminals see that they are cor¬ 
rectly placed for the car in which the 
battery is to be installed. Failure to 
observe this precaution frequently re¬ 
sults in having to remove the terminals 
and reburn them on properly. This not 
only results in lost time and money but 
inconveniences the customer who is wait¬ 
ing for his battery. 


The job of building up a run-over 
connector requires skillful lead burning, 
but a satisfactory job can be done. The 
usual way is to melt the top of the 
connector on the good side and burn a 
little lead from the stick on this side. 
Then with the flame horizontal and play¬ 
ing across the top of the connector 
from the high to the run-over side, the 
lead added to the high side is melted. 
The velocity of the gas in the flame will 
carry this molten lead over to the low 
side. This process is repeated until the 
damage is repaired. 

Before delivering the battery it should 
be cleaned and given a coat of paint. 
A gloss can be put on the compound by 
playing the end of the flame along its 
surface. This little service does not cost 
much, but it is the only evidence that 
the customer has that a workmanlike job 
has been done on his battery. The good 
will it produces makes it very worth 
while. 

The question of the equipment neces¬ 
sary to the proper servicing of the bat¬ 
tery is worthy of careful consideration. 
There are certain items wdiich are in- 


SHOP METHODS 

dispensable, but to a large extent the 
tools employed are collected as ex¬ 
perience proves their usefulness. The 
first four items on the following list are 
absolutely essential to good service; the 
balance of the equipment is found in a 
majority of service stations. 

Syringe type hydrometer. 

Battery charging equipment. 

Lead burning set. 

Portable voltmeter, 3-volt range. 

Battery thermometer. 

Cadmium leads. 

High rate discharge test set. 

% or %-in. drills. 

Brace, wall or power driven drill 
press. 

Battery steamer. 

Putty knife. 

Screwdriver. 

Two pairs of gas pliers (6 or 8 in.) 

Triangular scraper. 

Wire brush. 

Coarse file. 

End-cutting pliers. 

Machinist’s vise. 

Metal saw (8 to 12-in. blade). 


IN GENERAL 93 

Crocks or lead lined tanks for elec¬ 
trolyte. 

Separator storage tank 

Compound melting pot. 

Plate burning rack. 

Wooden mallet. 

Center punch. 

Two pairs of long, flat nose pliers 
for removing jars. 

Straight and taper post molds. 

Mold for lead sticks. 

There is a host of tools and equipment 
in addition to these which have been 
designed to simplify battery service, but 
whether or not the service station adds 
any of these is a matter of individual 
taste and requirements. 

The maintenance of a well arranged 
stockroom and a properly proportioned 
assortment of spare parts is also of 
prime importance. In addition, an ade¬ 
quate supply of compound, electrolyte, 
distilled water, acid resisting paint, lead 
and vaseline should be on hand at all 
times. The maintenance of a sufficient 
supply of materials is essential if the 
shop is to run smoothly and profitably. 


CHAPTER VH 
Battery Repairs in Detail 


T HE preceding chapter discussed 
those features of battery repair 
work which are more or less com¬ 
mon to all makes of batteries. Although 
the construction of the various batteries 
is in all important respects very similar, 
each has details which are very different. 
These differences are most apparent in 
the cover construction, and in order for 
the service man to successfully handle 
repairs on all makes of batteries, he 
should know about the best way of dis¬ 
mantling or assembling each particular 
make of battery. This article will cover 
these details, and explain the way that 
they are handled in practice. 

The Columbia Battery 

One type of Columbia battery is illus¬ 
trated in section in / Fig. 38. This 


model has a well which is molded into 
the cover, surrounding each post hole. 
A seal is obtained at the posts by means 
of a hard rubber ring which fits over 



Fig. 38 — This type of Columbia 
battery is sealed at the post by a 
hard mibber collar embedded in 
compound 


94 

















BATTERY REPAIRS IN DETAIL 95 


the post and down into the well. This 
ring fits the post fairly snugly, and is 
embedded in compound. The cover is of 
the single flange type. This battery is 
disassembled in the usual manner—the 
connectors are removed and after soft¬ 
ening the compound, the elements can 
be withdrawn from the jars. With the 
compound in the sealing wells in a plas¬ 
tic condition, it is a simple matter to 
separate the cover from the elements. 

The separators are held down in posi¬ 
tion by means of rubber hold-downs 
which run through holes in the plate lugs 
provided for that purpose. 

In this type of battery a special ring 
is placed around the positive and nega¬ 
tive terminals of the battery. This ring 
fits in the top of the sealing well and is 
colored red for the positive and black 
for the negative. 

The latest type of Columbia battery 
has the peened post construction. Inas¬ 
much as Prest-O-Lite makes use of the 
same construction, the special points on 
this model will be discussed under that 
battery. As an aid to the repairman, 
the covers on this model have the letters 


POS and NEG molded in next to the 
post holes. High separators are used in 
this type, the bottoms of the connecting 
straps acting as hold-downs. 

The Eveready Battery 

The cover construction of this type of 
battery, Fig. 39, is characterized by the 
comparatively large amount of sealing 



Fig. 39 —Right and left connecting 
straps are used in the Eveready 


compound used. The flat cover rests on 
the tops of the connecting straps and 
the balance of the space to the top of 
the jar is filled with compound. The 
connectors are covered over with a thin 
layer. Right and left connecting straps 
are used in this battery. 





96 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


The first step in opening this battery 
is to free the compound from the edges 
of the connectors in order that they can 
be drilled off. The battery is then steam¬ 
ed after which the elements can be re¬ 
moved in the usual manner. 

When reassembling this battery, the 
compound is poured on in layers. The 
first layer is about ^4 in. thick, and this 
layer should be well sealed at all edges 
with the flame. The connectors are next 
burned on after which the second layer 
of compound is poured in. Sufficient 
compound is added to bring the level up 
even with the top of the jars. Again, 
all edges should be carefully sealed. 
The last layer is now poured in, some 
being poured over the top of the connec- 



Fig. 40 —The Exide single flange 
cover construction 


tors. The only exposed metal parts on 
this battery are the terminals. The final 
level of the compound is even with the 
top of the case. It is very important to 
have the battery level when pouring 
compound. 

The Exide Battery 

Two cover constructions are used on 
Exide Batteries—'the more common being 
the single flange type shown in Fig. 40. 
This cover is used on types JX, LX, 
LXR, LXRV, PHC, SX and XC. The 



Fig. 41 — Double flange cover on 
Exide battery. Note the tiebolt 
which must be loosened before the 
jars are removed 



















































BATTERY REPAIRS IN DETAIL 


double flange cover, Fig. 41, is used on 
types KXD, KZ, LXRE, MHA, PHA, 
XE and ZA. The method of sealing the 
cover at the post is the same for all 
Exide batteries. The post is threaded 
and is provided with a flange on which 
a rubber washer is placed. The cover 
fits down on this washer, and when the 
sealing nut is run down on the threaded 
portion, the washer is compressed, thus 
sealing the battery. 

The single flange cover has sloping 
sides flared out at the bottom to fit the 
jar snugly. At the top it clears the jar, 
thus providing a space .of about % in. 
for the sealing compound. 

In removing the cover from the ele¬ 
ments, a special wrench shown in Fig. 
42 is used to back off the sealing nut. 
Pliers should not be used for this pur¬ 
pose as they will very likely damage the 
nut. 

The two flanges on the double flange 
cover form a channel which fits the top 
of the jar. The battery is sealed with a 
little compound in the top of this slot. 
If it is desired to remove the elements, 
the compound is softened up with the 


97 

torch or in a steamer, after the connec¬ 
tors have been removed. The elements 
are*then removed in the usual manner. 

If the cell is out of the case, Fig. 43 
shows an easy way of getting the cover 



Fig. 42 —Special wrench for use on 
Exide sealing nuts 

off. The sealing nuts are first removed, 
and the cell is then supported by the 
outside flanges on two boards. The com¬ 
pound is then softened, after which the 
cover is quickly removed by pressing 
down on the posts. 

Types KXD, LXRE, MHA, PHA, XA 
and XE have the jars separated in the 
case by painted wooden spacers, Fig. 41. 
These spacers are divided horizontally, 
and between the two spacers there is a 
tiebolt. The bolts should be loosened up 
one or two turns before attempting to 
remove the jars. 





• BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


98 

Perforated rubber separators in addi¬ 
tion to the wood are used in types KXD, 



Fig. 43 —This is a good way to re¬ 
move a double flange cover when 
the cell is out of the case 


KZ, LXRE, LXRV, MHA, PHA and 
PHC. These are placed against the 
grooved side of the wood separator and 
the two inserted together. 

Before placing the elements in the 
jars in types KXD, LXRE and XE, the 
two soft rubber buffers which fit over 
the bridges must be replaced. 

In sealing the double flange cover, the 
manufacturers recommend the use of a 
string of compound about 3/16 in. in 
diam. which is made by rolling this 
material between two flat boards. This 
string is inserted between the two 
flanges before replacing the cover. It 
is quite common practice, however, to 
fill this slot up with hot compound by 
running a putty knife carrying this ma¬ 
terial around the edges of the cover. 

The last step in sealing the cell is to 
lock the sealing nuts. The threads on 
the post extend slightly above the top 
of the nut after it has been screwed 
down tightly with the special wrench, 
the threads are mashed in two or three 
places with a center punch to lock the 
nut in place. 








BATTERY REPAIRS IN DETAIL 


The Gould Battery 

This battery has the double cover type 
of construction shown in Fig. 44. On 
top of the lower cover which rests on 
the top of the connecting straps, there 
is a thick layer of compound and on top 
of this is the uoper cover. The elements 



Fig. 44— The Gould uses the double 
cover construction 


can be removed by softening up the 
compound in a steamer after which they 
are» pulled out in the usual manner. An 
alternate method makes use of hot knives 
and the torch. If this procedure is fol¬ 
lowed, the first step is to remove the 
upper cover. This is done by playing 
the flame over it until the compound un¬ 


99 

derneath is melted. The heat will make 
the cover more pliable. The flame must 
not stay on any ond place for too long, as 
the cover will be burned. The cover is 
then pried off. Following this all the 
compound is removed, after which the 
lower cover can be pulled out. 

In rebuilding this battery, the com¬ 
pound should be poured in layers, and 
the flame should be used to seal the 
edges before pouring the next layer. 

The Prest-O-Lite Battery 

The feature of this battery is the 
peened post. The cross section, Fig. 45, 
shows the cover locked in position be- 



Fig. 45 — Prest - O - Lite battery, 
showing peened post constructiqpi 



























BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


100 

tween two lead rings on the posts. The 
manufacturers of this battery furnish a 
special hollow reamer in two sizes to fit 
the two post dimensions. These reamers 
fit the ordinary brace and are used to 
remove the upper lead ring, after which 
the cover can be removed. This opera¬ 
tion is not necessary unless extensive 
repairs must be made to the plate. New 
separators can be inserted with the 
cover in position. 

If the special reamers are not avail¬ 
able, the post can be sawed off flush 
with the top of the cover. The lead 
burning torch is then used to melt the 
upper ring preparatory to pulling off 
the cover. 

The special peening press shown in 
Fig. 46 is required in replacing the 
covers. This tool operates on the same 
principle as the ordinary arbor press, 
but the ram is fitted with a special head 
in the form of a hollow cylinder. This 
head is fitted with an acetylene burner 


Fig. 46 —Peening press for sealing 
Columbia and Prest-O-Lite bat¬ 
teries 




















BATTERY REPAIRS IN DETAIL 


which is used to heat it up. Special 
oversize postbuilders are used to build 
up the post, as there must be an excess 
of metal to form the upper lead ring. 
The lower ring is cast on thfe post. The 
complete element with cover in position 
is placed in the press as shown in the 
illustration. The peening head ^should 
be hot enough to just melt solder. When 
the head is brought down, the excess 
metal on the post is squeezed into the 
upper lead ring. 

This type of cover construction is also 
used on the latest types of Columbia 
battery. 

The USL Battery 

The cross-sectional view, Fig. 47, ex¬ 
plains the method employed to seal 
this battery at the posts. The covers 
have a lead collar molded in, and, this 
collar is burned to the post. If the drill 
used to remove the connections is care¬ 
fully centered with respect to the post, it 
will break the joint between the post and 
the sealing collar. If this is not the case, 
the element should be placed in the vise 


101 

and the post sawed off flush with the 
top of the cover. After this joint is 
broken, the cover can be separated from 
the element. 

In assembling this battery, it is abso¬ 
lutely essential that a good burned joint 



Fig. 47— The USL has lead collars 
molded into the cover. The tops of 
these collars are burned to the post 


be obtained between the post and con¬ 
nector. A special mold is used to effect 
the joint between the collar and the 
post. 

This mold fits around the outside 
of the collar. After the joint is made 
between the collar and the post, the 
































102 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 



latter is built up to the desired height 
and the connectors burned on. 

Types AD, CD, CDC, HD and GD 
have the filling tube shown in Fig. 47. 
In filling the battery, the by-pass at the 
side of the tube is closed with the finger, 
and electrolyte added until the level 
starts to rise in the filling tube. When 
the level reaches the bottom of the filling 
tube, the air in the expansion chamber 
is trapped, and the pressure thus gen¬ 
erated prevents the liquid from rising 
further in this space. The filling tube 
is the only relief. Before using a flame 
around this battery, the electrolyte 
should be dumped out down to the top of 
the plates, and the expansion chamber 
thoroughly blown out. If this is not 
done, the only relief for the gases is the 
small by-pass in the filling tube. The 
operation of this filling device depends 
upon a perfect seal being made at the 
post. 

The Vesta Battery 


Fig. 48— The Vesta battery has cel¬ 
luloid isolators for maintaining the 
spacing betiveen the plates 


The use of celluloid isolators and the 
lead sealing collar are the features of 
this battery. Fig. 48 shows the general 





















































BATTERY REPAIRS IN DETAIL 


points of the construction of this bat¬ 
tery. It has a single flange cover, and 
it is sealed at the posts by means of lead 
collars. The quickest way to take off 
these rings is to strike a few blows with 
a light hammer at one place. This ex¬ 
pands the collar slightly so that it can 
be removed. 

A special tool has been devised by the 
manufacturers of this battery for re¬ 
placing this collar. This tool is placed 
over the post, and tapped with the ham¬ 
mer until there is no play between the 
post and the collar. This should not be 
carried to excess or the rubber sealing 
gasket will be compressed so tightly that 
it will break. 

If the lead ring does not grip the post, 
expand the post by driving a punch in 
the lead shoulder on the post in two or 
three places. If a leak develops after 
the connectors are on, the sealing collar 
can be tightened without removing the 
connectors. A *4 in. rod filed square at 
the end is used for this purpose. This 
tool is used to indent the metal where 
the connector or terminal and the collar 
meet. This should be done on opposite 


103 

sides. The lead collar will be forced 
down, and the rubber gasket will expand 
and stop the leak. 

The celluloid isolators are used to keep 
the edges of the plates apart. They are 
in three pieces as shown in Fig. 49. It 
is obvious that the upper and lower 
pieces are inserted firs^ the center sec¬ 
tion acting simply as a lock. An older 
type of Vesta used the double cover type 
of construction. 

Fi^.49 



Fig. 49 —Cross-section shoiving the 
installation of the isolators in 
Vesta batteries 

































104 


BATTERY SERVICE MAN,UAL 


The Willard Battery 

Due to its wide adoption as standard 
equipment, this battery will be most fre¬ 
quently encountered in service station 
work. The older types have the double 
cover, but the more recent models all 
have the single flange type of cover con¬ 
struction. This company uses both wood 
and threaded rubber separators—if the 



Fig. 50 —Willard battery with com¬ 
pound sealed post 


type number contains the letter R, 
threaded rubber separators are used; if 
it contains the letter W, wood separators 
are used. 

Types SEW, SER, SJW, SJR, SL, 


SLR, SM, SMR, STR, SXW, SXR, SP, 
SK, SQ, EM and EMR have single 
flange covers and compound sealed posts, 
illustrated in Fig 50. The posts in this 
type have a flange on them which fits un¬ 
der the cover. This flange has a tongue 
on it which fits in an annular groove 
in the bottom of the cover. Immediately 
after the element is removed, while the 
compound is still hot and soft, the cover 
should be removed. This is accomplished 
by placing the thumbs on the posts and 
pulling up on the cover with the fingers. 

When the cover is replaced, the well 
in the flange on the post should be dried 
out and heated up with the flame. The 
compound is then poured into the wells 
and the cover quickly pressed into posi¬ 
tion. 

The latest Willard battery is known 
as the SJRN with rubber, and the SJWN 
with wood insulation. The construction 
at the post is shown in Fig. 51. In dis¬ 
mantling this battery, a 13/16 in. drill is 
used to remove the connectors. The top of 
the post is then smoothed off with a file 
and then the post separated from the 
sealing collar with a 57/64 in. drill in 




















BATTERY REPAIRS IN DETAIL 


connection with a special jig designed 
for this purpose. This jig is in the form 
of a collar which fits around the post 
assembly and centers the drill, as it is 
essential that the hole drilled be ac¬ 
curately centered. 

When the assembly has reached the 
point where the covers are replaced, the 
following procedure is recommended by 
the manufacturer: 

1— The covers put in position as shown 
at A, Fig. 51. The top should be about 
1/32 in. above the top of the jar. 

2— Using the special mold shown at 
B, burn the joint between the post and 
the sealing collar. 

3— The post is built up for the con¬ 
nector with the mold shown at C. These 
molds are furnished for both positive 
and negatives. Another special mold is 
used to build up the terminal posts. 

The bottle neck post on this type of 
battery has been discarded in favor of 
the form shown in the illustration. 

The Witherbee Battery 

The latest model of Witherbee battery 
has a threaded post on which a sealing 
































106 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


nut is screwed. The details of construc¬ 
tion are shown in Fig. 52. To separate 
the covers from the elements, the nuts 
are screwed off, after which the covers 
pull off easily. As is usual with this 
lesign, there is a rubber sealing ring 



which fits around the post on the lower 
side of the cover. When the nut is 
tightened, this washer expands and seals 
the battery at the posts. 

The older type of construction is illus¬ 


trated in Fig. 53. A well is molded in 
the cover around the post holes. A hard 
rubber collar which fits the taper post 
quite snugly is slipped over the post and 
down into this well. The remaining 
space is filled with compound. After 


|T I w** 

gW®— 

) ^ 

I 

w 

Fig.53 


| a F 
















i 








1 


Fig. 53 — This Witherbee battery 
uses the hard rubber collar em¬ 
bedded in compound to seal the post 


removing the connectors and steaming 
the battery, the covers can easily be 
removed. Both types have the single 
flange type of cover. 



































































107 


BATTERY REPAIRS IN DETAIL 


The various constructional features 
discussed here illustrate fairly well how 
storage batteries are being built at the 
present time. It is not usually possi¬ 
ble for a service station to have all the 
special tools which have been designed 
to handle the peculiarities of the various 
batteries. Nor is such equipment abso¬ 
lutely essential as in almost every case 
the problem can be solved in some other 
way by exercising a little ingenuity. 
However, wherever it is possible, it is 
desirable to use special tools, as they re¬ 
duce the labor expense and improve the 
quality of the workmanship. 

Before leaving the subject of battery 
repairs it might be well to discuss the 
question “When are repairs justified?” 
No set rule can be laid down as an an¬ 
swer to this question as each battery that 
comes into the service station presents 
a distinct problem. There are two meth¬ 
ods of arriving at a decision. The short¬ 
sighted dealer will take the course that 
leads to the greatest immediate profits. 
But the path that leads to the greatest 
satisfaction on the part of the customer 


is the preferable one, and, in the end, 
most profitable. The aim of the dealer 
should be to render service at the least 
expense to the owner. 

This statement should not be misin¬ 
terpreted. It might be possible to re¬ 
pair a battery so that it would perform 
its duties satisfactorily for a time, but 
the cost of these repairs must be in pro¬ 
portion to the probable length of service 
obtained. In this case it would be 
cheaper for the customer to buy a re¬ 
placement battery. But if the probable 
length of service is long enough to jus¬ 
tify the cost of the repairs, it is only 
honest for the dealer to advise the owner 
against the purchase of a new battery. 

The sales appeal of the storage bat¬ 
tery dealer is service, and unless a repu¬ 
tation for honesty is cultivated, the suc¬ 
cess of the enterprise is doubtful. The 
best interests of the customer must be 
the ideal of the storage battery service 
station, and strict adherence to this pol¬ 
icy will result in the greatest financial 
returns. 


CHAPTER VIII 

Wet and Dry Storage and the Treatment of New Batteries 


W HEN a storage battery is not 
in service it cannot be allowed 
to stand without attention for 
any length of time without causing 
serious damage to itself. This is due 
to the fact that a slow internal dis¬ 
charge takes place which has very harm¬ 
ful results. If a car is to be laid up for 
several months, the owner should be 
strongly advised to put his battery in 
the care of a service station, but if he 
will not do this he should be instructed 
as to the needs of the battery. The 
battery should be charged about every 
two weeks by running the engine at 
some speed above that at which the 
cutout closes, and the level of the elec¬ 
trolyte must be maintained. 

There are two standard methods of 
storage—one is known as wet storage 


and the other as dry storage. The first 
method is less expensive, but it has the 
disadvantage that the battery is in 
action and is consequently wearing it¬ 
self out. Although dry storage neces¬ 
sitates a tear-down, it is usually prefer¬ 
able where the battery is to be stored for 
any length of time. If the battery has 
9een considerable service previously, it 
is probable that it will need new separ¬ 
ators within a short time after it is 
again put in service. The battery must 
be dismantled to perform this job, so 
putting a battery in dry storage is 
really not as expensive as it might seem 
to be at first glance. 

Wet Storage 

The wet storage method consists of 
maintaining the battery in a charged 


108 


WET AND DRY STORAGE AND TREATMENT OF NEW BATTERIES 109 


condition, and of replenishing the water 
jvhen necessary. There are two ways of 
keeping the battery charged — one by 
means of periodic charges and the other 
by means of a trickle charge. 

After the battery has been tested to 
determine whether or not any repairs 
are necessary, if it is found to be in 
good condition, it is fully charged and 
the electrolyte balanced to between 1.275 
and 1.300. It is then stored in a clean 
dry place, the temperature of which 
should not fall below the freezing point 
nor exceed 110 deg. Fahr. 

If the periodic charge method is used, 
the batteries should be arranged, if 
possible, so that they can be charged 
with a minimum of handling. This 
necessitates providing the storage bench 
with charging leads. About once a 
month the battery should be charged at 
the finish rate until the gravity becomes 
constant and all cells are gassing freely. 
Distilled water should be added before 
charging to bring the level of the elec¬ 
trolyte to normal, if necessary. The 
length of this freshening charge varies 
between two and five hours, depending 


on how long it takes the battery to come 
up. 

Before the battery is put in service it 
should be charged at the finish rate until 
the gravity has been constant for about 
five hours. The electrolyte should be 
balanced to about 1.300 and the level 
brought to the correct point. 

The Trickle Method 

In some service stations this method 
of wet storage is used exclusively, and it 
is especially valuable where a large num¬ 
ber of batteries are to be stored at the 
same time. The batteries are connected 
up in the usual manner, with one or more 
incandescent lamps in series. They are 
charged continuously at a very low rate. 
The current used is so small that gassing 
is avoided yet the battery is maintained 
in a charged condition. 

The actual current values used vary 
considerably, some stations using as 
much as Vz amp. while others cut it 
down to about Vs amp. The size and 
number of lamps, and the method of 
connection, determine what the current 
will be.* A 25-watt tungsten lamp in 


110 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


series with ten 6-volt starting batteries 
of average size will permit a current 
of about 0.1 amp. to flow if the vojtage 
of the charging circuit is 110. 

While on trickle charge, the batteries 
should be inspected frequently to see 
that their condition is satisfactory). The 
level of the electrolyte must, of bourse, 
be maintained at the proper heignt. 

With this method of storage no'special 
treatment is necessary to put the bat¬ 
tery in service except to see that the 
gravity of the electrolyte is correct, and 
that the liquid is at the proper height. 

Before putting a battery into wet 
storage all exposed metal parts should 
be coated with vaseline to protect them 
from corrosion. 

Dry Storage 

There is some diversity of opinion as 
to the proper method of storing a bat¬ 
tery dry. The recommendations of 
several manufacturers will be given 
further on, but the following procedure 
seems to represent standard practice 
fairly well: 

1—Give the battery a full charge. 


2— Remove the terminals and con¬ 
nectors, soften the compound and remove 
the elements. 

3— Remove the separators, and if they 
are of wood, throw them away. 

4— Separate the groups and wash 
each thoroughly in water. The negative, 
plates will start to heat as soon as they 
are exposed to air, and they should be 
washed again and again until they show 
no rise in temperature. 

5— After the groups have dried they 
should be stored separately. If any are 
defective they should be replaced at 
this time. 

6— Wash out the jars thoroughly; 
also wash the case with an alkaline 
solution (washing soda and water) in 
order to neutralize any acid that it may 
have absorbed. The case and jars should 
be thoroughly dried. 

7— When storing the various parts 
they should all be marked so that they 
can be identified when the battery is 
reassembled. 

The operations involved in putting the 
battery back in service are as follows: 

1—Assemble the battery with new 


WET AND DRY STORAGE AND TREATMENT OF NEW BATTERIES 111 


separators, but do not seal or burn on 
the connectors and terminals. 

2— Fill the jars with electrolyte of 
about 1.300 specific gravity, to the 
proper level. 

3— Charge at the finish rate until the 
gravity and voltage have been constant 
for five hours, and then balance the elec¬ 
trolyte to about 1.300. 

4— If all cells are normal the battery 
may be sealed and the connectors and 
terminals burned on. 

The manufacturers of both the Colum¬ 
bia and Eveready batteries recommend 
that their batteries be stored wet. 

Exide Batteries 

The following procedure is recom¬ 
mended by the manufacturers of the 
Exide battery: 

1— Give the battery a bench charge. 
When this is completed, the electrolyte 
is poured out, and replaced with water. 
The plates are allowed to stand in the 
water for five hours. 

2— Unseal the cells and pull the ele¬ 
ments and covers out of the jars. It is 
not necessary to remove the sealing nuts. 


3— Remove the wood separators. If 
rubber separators are also used they 
should be replaced between the plates. 
Pour the water out of the jars. 

4— Allow the plates to drain and dry 
thoroughly, taking care that the positive 
and negative plates do not touch during 
this time. 

5— Reassemble the elements using new 
and thoroughly wet wood separators. 

6— Replace elements in jars and seal 
the battery, but do not fill with electro¬ 
lyte. 

Under this treatment, batteries may 
be held in an unfilled condition for a 
period of ten or twelve months without 
any deterioration. When they are re¬ 
quired for service, they should be filled 
with water instead of electrolyte and 
put on charge at the finish rate. This 
charge is continued until there has been 
no rise in the gravity of the electrolyte 
for ten hours. The solution is then re¬ 
placed with 1.300 electrolyte and the bat¬ 
tery put on charge for about three hours, 
at the end of which time the gravity is 
adjusted in each cell to between 1.270 
and 1.300. 


112 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Gould Stored in Discharged Condition 

The Gould Storage Battery Co. recom¬ 
mend a unique method of handling the 
dry storage of batteries. The procejdure 
is briefly as follows: 

1— Discharge the battery at the nor¬ 
mal discharge rate. 

2— Dismantle battery, discard the 
wood separators. 

3— Soak the positive and negative 
plates in cold water for one hour. The 
negative groups will probably heat when 
they are removed from the water, and 
they should be replaced in the water 
when their temperature reaches 80 deg. 
Fahr. This process of redipping the neg¬ 
atives should be continued until they cool 
off. When the parts are placed in stor¬ 
age, they should be kept separate, and 
protected from dirt and moisture. 

When the battery is placed in service, 
the jars should be filled with 1.150 electro¬ 
lyte and the battery given a full charge. 

The general instructions for dry stor¬ 
age coincide almost exactly with the 
recommendations of the manufacturers 
of the Prest-O-Lite battery. It is not nec¬ 


essary to remove the cell covers on this 
battery when placing in dry storage un¬ 
less repairs to the plates are to be made. 

Dry Storage of a USL 

The USL method of dry storage in¬ 
volves the complete charge of the bat¬ 
tery, after which the electrolyte is 
poured out and the cells thoroughly 
flushed with water four or five times. 
The water is then poured out and the 
battery sealed by means of rubber 
washers which fit on top of the filling 
tube and cover the bypass. When the 
battery is placed in service, it is filled 
with electrolyte and given a charge, after 
which the gravity is balanced to normal. 

The Willard Storage Battery Co. 
makes the following recommendations: 

1— Charge the battery at the finish 
rate until the gravity has been constant 
for two hours. 

2— Remove the elements. Throw away 
old electrolyte, separators and holddowns. 

3— Rinse positive and negative groups 
by dipping in water. Continue this 
process until negatives cool off. 

4— When thoroughly dry, the groups 


WET AND DRY STORAGE AND TREATMENT OF NEW BATTERIES 113 


may be stored. The positives and nega¬ 
tives must not come in contact, and 
should be stored separately. 

The consensus of opinion seems to be 
that the battery should be fully charged 
before being placed in dry storage, and 
that the battery should be dismantled 
and the separators discarded. Before de¬ 
livering the battery to its owner, it 
should be fully charged, the electrolyte 
should be properly balanced and the level 
brought to normal. The battery should 
then be given a coat of paint and all 
metal parts brightened. 

Treatment of New Batteries 

The treatment of new batteries depends 
on the method of shipment. For those 
that are shipped wet, all that is normally 
necessary to put the battery in condition 
for service is to give it a freshening 
charge. For those that are shipped dry, 
various special treatments are required. 

On receiving a new battery which has 
been shipped wet, the first thing to do is 
to test the gravity in each cell. The 
readings obtained should be between 
1.250 and 1.300. Then bring the electro¬ 


lyte to its normal level by adding water 
and, if the gravity readings were low, 
put the battery on charge. In freezing 
weather the battery should always be 
given a charge after the addition of 
water regardless of the readings obtained 
with the hydrometer. If part of the 
electrolyte has been spilled out during 
shipment, it should be replaced with 
1.250 acid. During the time -the battery 
is in the station waiting to be put in 
service, it should be treated the same as 
a battery in wet storage. 

The method of putting a battery that 
has been shipped dry in service is very 
variable and for that reason the recom¬ 
mendations of several of the manufac¬ 
turers will be given. 

Exide batteries are shipped completely 
assembled in a dry state. On the tag 
which is attached to each battery there 
is a statement of the maximum time 
which a battery should be held in the 
dry condition. If this period is exceeded, 
the battery should be opened and the 
separators inspected. 1 

The strength of the electrolyte used to 
fill a new Exide battery varies between 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


114 

1.300 and 1.360, depending on the typ6, 
and after filling the cells, the battery 
should be allowed to stand for from ten 
to fifteen hours before beginning the 
charge. The battery is then put on 
charge at about 1/25 of normal ampere 
hour rating and the charge is continued 
for about 96 hrs. Both of these figures 
are approximations, as the manufactur¬ 
ers recommend special charging rates 
and total ampere hours for each type of 
battery. The temperature of' the elec¬ 
trolyte should at no time exceed 110 deg. 
Fahr., and if this is exceeded, the charge 
should be interrupted until the battery 
has cooled. At the termination of .the 
charge the gravity should be between 
1.270 and 1.300, and if these values are 
not obtained, the gravity of the electro¬ 
lyte should be balanced to normal—that 
is between 1.275 and 1.300. 

Developing the Battery 

The dry-shipped Gould battery should 
be ^filled with 1.250 electrolyte and al¬ 
lowed to stand at least four hours but 
not more than fifteen before the develop¬ 
ing charge is started. The developing 


charge lasts for 60 hrs. and during this 
time current is supplied at the finish 
rate for the battery. This is an approxi¬ 
mation as the manufacturers specify the 
currents to be used on the different types 
of cells. This information is contained 
on a card which is attached to the bat¬ 
tery. During the developing charge, 
evaporation should be replaced with 
1.275 acid, and at the end, if the gravity 
does not lie between 1.285 and 1.295, it 
is balanced by the addition of 1.400 acid 
or water as the case may require. 

If the battery is to be placed in service 
at once, no further treatment is nec¬ 
essary; but if it is to be carried in stock 
it should be discharged at the normal 
rate, and then given a recharge in the 
usual manner. 

The USL battery is shipped assembled 
and dry charged. To put it in service it 
should be filled with 1.400 electrolyte 
and charged at the finish rate until the 
gravity becomes constant. The rate 
used is about 1/25 of the ampere hour 
capacity and the duration of the charge 
is 24 hrs. or more, depending on how 
long battery has stood in a dry condition. 


WET AND DRY STORAGE AND TREATMENT OF NEW BATTERIES 115 


The Willard Threaded Rubber Battery 

The Willard threaded rubber battery 
is shipped dry and the following treat¬ 
ment is recommended in placing it in 
service: 

1— Fill the cells to the top of the fill¬ 
ing tubes with 1.275 electrolyte. 

2— After five minutes, some of the elec¬ 
trolyte will have been absorbed by the 
plates and separators, and enough more 
should be added to bring the level back 
to the top of the filling tubes. 

3— Allow the battery to stand at least 
12 hrs. but not more than 24 hrs. The 
battery will get warm during this period, 
but it will cool off before this time is up. 

4— Before putting on charge, bring the 
level of the electrolyte to the bottom of 
the filling tubes by adding 1.275 acid. 

5— Put the battery on charge at the 
finish rate stamped on the name plate 
for a period of 36 hrs. or until the gravity 
stops rising. The gravity at the end of 
the charge will be between 1.280 and 
1.300. The plates must be covered with 
electrolyte at all times during the charge, 
and distilled water should be added if 


necessary to maintain the level. 

6—The temperature must not exceed 
110 deg. Fahr. If it rises above this 
value, the charging* rate should be re¬ 
duced, which, of course, increases the 
time required to charge the battery. The 
use of an electric fan to keep the battery 
cool in warm weather is advisable. 

While the battery is on charge, the 
vent plugs should be removed from each 
cell. The temperature and gravity of the 
electrolyte should be taken at regular 
intervals, and at the expiration of 36 
hrs., if the gravity readings do not show 
any rise for two consecutive hours, the 
battery should be taken off. 

In general, the treatment of a new, 
dry-shipped 'battery is as follows: 

1— Fill all cells with electrolyte of 
about 1.300 gravity and allow to stand 
until the battery has cooled off. 

2— Charge at the fipish rate until the 
gravity becomes constant. During this 
time, the temperature must not exceed 
110 deg. Fahr. 

3— Keep the plates covered at all 
times during the charge, and at the end 
balance to about 1.285 gravity. 


CHAPTER IX 


Service Station Layout 


I T is a short-sighted policy that over¬ 
looks the important part that equip¬ 
ment plays in the success of any com¬ 
mercial enterprise. And in the word 
equipment is included not only tools with 
which the working operations are per¬ 
formed, but also the building in which 
they are accomplished. In order to meet 
competition, the service rendered or the 
product sold must compare favorably as 
to quality and price with similar articles 
on the market. Proper tools are a potent 
factor in the production of a workmanlike 
job, and in reducing the labor expense be¬ 
cause of the time they save. In the same 
way, a well-planned building will tend very 
materially to reduce operating expense. 

Money saved in this manner can be 
used in two ways to increase sales. 


Either the selling price of the product 
may be reduced or the price may remain 
stationary and a portion of the increased 
margin of profit devoted to improving 
the quality of the product. In either 
case the value that the customer receives 
for the money he spends is greater than 
can be obtained from a competitor not 
as well equipped. 

The storage battery dealer is governed 
by these facts, but unfortunately a sur¬ 
vey of this class of business will show 
that in a great many instances their im¬ 
portance is apparently not realized. Too 
often the battery service station shows 
that no particular thought has been given 
to laying out interior so that the work 
can be carried on with the least possible 
expense. 


116 


SERVICE STATION LAYOUT 


117 


Many automobile service stations 
maintain battery repair and charging 
rooms to take care of their customers. 
The problem presented here is quite dif¬ 
ferent from that of the exclusive battery 
dealer as no provision need be made for 
sales, as this feature is taken care of 
along with the sale of general automo¬ 
bile service. It is simply necessary to 
provide for testing, repairing and charg¬ 
ing the battery. 

The layout shown in Fig. 54 is of a 
battery room of this character. It is 
30 ft. long and 20 ft. wide. It repre¬ 
sents conditions in the average-sized 
service station. For small service sta¬ 
tions the space devoted to charging 
benches should be reduced—the shop 
space cannot be reduced very materially. 
For the very large station, the charging 
benches would have to be increased in 
number. In this case it is a good plan 
to provide a separate room for charging 
purposes. 

Ordinarily the volume of battery busi¬ 
ness handled by an automobile service 
station will not warrant any large ex¬ 
penditure for equipment. Of course, a 


re 


O 

AIR 

o 

GAS 


a LEAR BURNING CONNECTION 
COMPOUND MELTED. 


O’ 

O' 


Fig 54 


SKEL WES 


1—I- 1. 1 1 I—1...I I I I 


te 



u 


0 



s 

§ 


{a 




Q 

cs 

s 


i 

$ 

< 4 ; 

1 


STEAMEU^-^ 




FEET 0 

Fig. 54 —Layout for battery room 
in automobile service station 




































BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


118 

lead burning outfit is essential and a 
battery steamer is desirable, but other 
repair equipment is more or less optional. 
No drill press has been provided as the 
ordinary brace or brea9t drill will answer 
satisfactorily. A common sink may be 
used for the drainage rack. 

Directly to the rear of the repair 
bench there is a stand consisting of a 
series of shelves. These are provided 
for the storage of new batteries, rentals, 
repaired batteries awaiting delivery and 
batteries awaiting instructions from the 
owner. 

The remainder of the space is taken up 
by the charging benches and it is prefer¬ 
able to mount individual charging panels 
at the end of each bench. Distilled 
water and acid are contained in bottles 
mounted on shelves about five feet off 
the floor so that their contents can be 
syphoned out. 

The battery foreman is provided with 
a desk and files. Both of these are es¬ 
sential as he must keep records of the 
work done in the shop, of rentals and of 
the batteries belonging to the different 
owners using the service station. A 


complete history can be kept of each 
battery by keeping track of the serial 
numbers, and noting under each number 
a record of each time the battery comes 
into the station and what was done to it. 

No very extensive stock of parts need 
be maintained for the battery depart¬ 
ment of an automobile service station. 
Repair operations are confined to a large 
extent to the make of battery that is 
standard equipment on the car handled 
by the dealer. In addition, the batteries 
are all of the same model, or at most 
two or three different models, unless sev¬ 
eral different makes of cars are sold. 
A convenient place for storing the parts 
stock is in bins located over the repair 
bench. 

The exclusive battery dealer must pro¬ 
vide not only for a repair department 
but also for a sales unit. The design 
shown in Fig. 55 is for average condi¬ 
tions, and it is intended for the small 
store in which battery service stations 
are quite frequently located. 

The front portion of the building is 
naturally devoted to sales. The entrance 
is placed to one side, as this allows for 


SERVICE STATION LAYOUT 


119 


one large show window rather than two 
small ones, as would be the case were the 
door placed in the center. The one large 
display window is preferable because it 
offers greater opportunities for effective 
window dressing. 

The store should contain a sufficient 
number of showcases to properly adver¬ 
tise the accessories which the dealer has 
for sale. The shelves on the left are in¬ 
tended to carry a small stock of new 
batteries, as it helps in the sale of a 


replacement to be able to show a custo¬ 
mer just what he is going to get. The 
plan shows the office partitioned off from 
the store, but this is a debatable point. 
Unless the building has but one story, 
putting the office in a separate room will 
necessitate the use of artificial light. In 
addition, it is sometimes desirable in 
order to reduce overhead to have some¬ 
one in the office handle the store for at 
least a portion of the day. 

However, if no partition is used, it is 



Fig. 55 —Plan for average battery service station to fit the ordinary store 
























































BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


120 

imperative that the office be kept in a 
neat state at all times. Of course this 
ought to be the case anyway, as it is 
difficult to conduct a business efficiently 
in an office that is littered with papers. 
But if the office is visible from the store 
it is absolutely essential that it be main¬ 
tained in proper condition if the ap¬ 
pearance of the store is not to be in¬ 
jured. 

The middle of the station is given to 
storage purposes. Part of the space is 
allotted to shelves carrying rentals, bat¬ 
teries awaiting delivery and to parts of 
stock. In a station of this size it is prob¬ 
able that the stock records would be 
kept either in the office or by the battery 
foreman. There would not be sufficient 
work to justify the employment of a spe¬ 
cial clerk. Unless skylights could be in¬ 
stalled this part would have to depend 
on artificial light. 

The repair shop and the battery charg¬ 
ing department are combined in one 
room, although they can be separated 
very easily without interfering with the 
layout. Under certain conditions it 
might be desirable to increase the size 


of this department, and this can be done 
by reducing the storage area. 

The containers for acid and distilled 
water are installed in the same manner 
as in the previous example. A drill 
press and a battery steamer occupy one 
corner and following these across the 
back of the building are the drainage 
rack, the bench with the lead burning 
connection, and compound melter. There 
is also a separator storage tank, and the 
scrap bins are located under the bench. 
In laying out the shop, the idea was to 
arrange the tools and equipment in the 
order in which they would normally be 
used so that needless transportation of the 
battery during repair would be avoided. 

The rear is the only suitable location 
for the shop in a building situated in the 
middle of the block, unless there is va¬ 
cant property on one side. In this posi¬ 
tion only can good natural light be as¬ 
sured and this is where light is most 
important. Furthermore, a battery re¬ 
pair job is at best a dirty job and it is 
impossible to maintain the shop in a 
scrupulously clean condition. In the 
back of the building it is out of sight of 


SERVICE STATION LAYOUT 


the customer, and in this position a 
minimum of dirt will be tracked to the 
front of the station. 

The service station plan shown in Fig. 
56 is suitable for the very large dealer 
or distributer only. It will take a very 
considerable volume of business to pay 
the running expenses of an establish¬ 
ment of this magnitude. This building 
is designed for a corner lot 50 x 100 ft. 
If the property were located in the mid¬ 
dle of the block, this would of course 
eliminate the side entrance, and would 
make shifting the shop around advisable 
so that it would be across the rear of the 
building. 

A drive-in and a drive-out are pro¬ 
vided but this feature is not essential— 
in fact from a merchandising standpoint 
it is preferable to eliminate the front en¬ 
trance and devote this space to the sales 
department. If this construction is 
adopted, the front of the building could 
be divided between two stores, one of 
which could be rented, thus reducing the 
carrying charges considerably. In the 
layout illustrated, however, only one store 
is provided for and the portion next to 


121 

the driveway is given over to the office. 

There is sufficient room on the floor 
of the station to take care of at least a 
half-dozen cars at one time. They should 
be parked in the space directly behind 
the office. To the right of the side en¬ 
trance there is a small bench for the 
testers’ equipment, and this is a good 
place to put the high rate discharge set 
as the customer can watch the test on 
his battery. 

The service manager’s office, which 
should be enclosed in glass, is located so 
that he can watch both the shop and the 
floor. The floor of this office should be 
a foot or two above general level. Next 
to the manager’s office and facing on the 
station floor is sort of a receiving room. 
The shelves in this room carry rental 
batteries and repaired batteries await¬ 
ing delivery. A counter is provided over 
which the batteries are delivered. This 
room is connected with the stockroom, so 
that this part of the work can be han¬ 
dled by the stock clerk if desired. 

The shop is about 14 ft. wide and 30 ft. 
long, and the equipment is arranged in 
the order of normal use in order to avoid 


122 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


needless handling. A shelf is provided 
for the storage of batteries which have 
been opened for inspection and are wait¬ 
ing for the owner’s instruction before 
proceeding with the work. The charg¬ 
ing room is next to the shop and there 
are four large benches which provide 
considerable capacity for this class of 
work. 

The stockroom is large enough to han¬ 
dle the business of the average dealer 
requiring a building of this size, but for 
a distributer more space would have to 
be provided for this purpose. This 
would necessitate changing the layout 
somewhat, and the parking space is about 
the only place that this room could be 
secured. 

The two types of layouts which have 
been discussed only necessitate the use 
of one story, and this is the usual ar¬ 
rangement. However, in the larger 
cities especially, where land is compara¬ 
tively valuable, it is sometimes advisable 
to use a two-story building in order to 
reduce first cost. The cost of the land 
necessary for the one-story construction 
makes the two-story building necessary. 


This applies particularly to the large 
dealer or the distributer, as the average 
business does not require this much 
space. The usual layout for such a build¬ 
ing is to place the accessory store at the 
front of the first floor, and if a car en¬ 
trance is included, this is placed at one 
side so as not to cut up the sales space. 
In order to facilitate getting out of the 
building, a turntable is sometimes in¬ 
stalled in narrow buildings. The shop 
is placed at the rear of the building. 

The first floor layout is not very dif¬ 
ferent from that shown in Fig. 55, except 
that the storage space is absorbed by the 
store and the shop, or in case there 
is a car entrance, this area is devoted to 
parking. The second floor has the office 
and stockroom, the former being at the 
front of the building. The shop and the 
stockroom should be connected by means 
of a dumbwaiter. 

In arranging the shop equipment there 
are several important considerations. 
The various units should be so arranged 
that the work progresses through the 
shop smoothly and with a minimum of 
duplication. Fig. 57 shows a layout in 


SERVICE STATION LAYOUT 


123 


which there are a number of bad fea¬ 
tures. The drill is very inconveniently 
located as is the vise. The separator 
storage tank is about 15 ft. away from 
the bench which occasions considerable 


loss of time. The foreman’s desk is also 
poorly located both as to light and as to 
view of the shop. These may seem like 
unimportant details, but the time spent 
in going to and from the bench, drill, 



OpAlNAGC 

■PACK 


■ _ - _ « _ 




saes 


SSEKSSSZf 


BATTERY 


LOCKER 

ROOM 


TART D/U5 


STOCK CLERKS DCS* AMO FILLS 


rzrr o 


OELtVtn l*W* 0 »l 


CHARGING 

_ - BENCHES - 


OFFICE 


CARS 


SHOWCASE 


STCXtE 


SHELVE 5 FOR RENTALS — 
BATTERIES WAJTfitC PELI/L'R Y 


SHELVES FOR pATiLRIES 
AVAIIIHG CVSTQKTrt UiSTPJCTlt 


WATER" AC 10 


SEPARATOR. 
STORAGE TANK 


W5 O 

LL'AV BURNING CONNECTIONS Al!i Q 


BENCH ANO Hnrt*\TS M .. ___' 

p/scnmocf set {I KANaCER? 

_ V office 


WLL STEAK Eli 


Fig 5 3 


Fig. 56— This is a very large station and would be out of 'place in anything but a 

big city 






























































































124 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 



Fig. 57 — Layout 
showing improper 
arrangement of 
the various units 
of the shop . 
Many steps can 
he saved by care¬ 
fully placing the 
equipment in the 
shop 


Fig 57 


FEET O 


















































SERVICE STATION LAYOUT 125 


vise and separator tank, is wasted time, 
and makes it that much harder to meet 
the prices of a competitor. 

In many instances in planning a bat¬ 
tery service station, no special thought 
is given to ventilation. The acid fumes 
that are given off by a battery on charge 
are not healthful, and unless provision 


is made for carrying them off, they will 
interfere seriously with efficient work. 
If natural ventilation by means of win¬ 
dows and skylights does not produce the 
desired results, some mechanical device 
should be installed to secure the neces- 
sary circulation of air. 



CHAPTER X 
Shop Management 


I N all the important details the man¬ 
agement of a battery service sta¬ 
tion is similar to that of an automo¬ 
bile repair shop. Where the battery 
shop is part of a general automobile 
service station it is taken care of as one 
of the departments and no special scheme 
for handling this class of work is neces¬ 
sary. 

In the minds of most men the expres¬ 
sion “shop management” and the word 
“system” are linked together, and espe¬ 
cially in smaller establishments, the 
need of a systematic method of han¬ 
dling the work is not appreciated. This 
impression is no doubt due to the fact 
that a system necessitates some clerical 
work, and to the belief that the cost of 
this work will be in excess of any re¬ 


turns from the use of a system. This 
is an erroneous belief, however. 

When the shop procedure becomes so 
highly systematized as to be cumber¬ 
some and unprofitable, it should be 
classed as “red tape.” A real system 
will pay for itself in satisfied customers 
and in money saved. It must, however, 
be adapted to the business for which it 
is intended as the small business does not 
require nor can it support the detailed 
record keeping that is essential to the 
success of the large station. 

The first thing to be taken care of is 
the appearance of the station. Unfor¬ 
tunately battery service is at best a 
dirty job, but it is surprising how clean¬ 
ly and neatly a station can be main¬ 
tained if a real effort is made to ac- 


126 


SHOP MANAGEMENT 


127 


complish these ends. Owners are not 
particularly keen about going to service 
stations, and the chances of their com¬ 
ing to your service station are reduced 
if they are under the constant appre¬ 
hension that if they touch anything, it 
means a trip to the cleaners for their 
clothes. Furthermore, an untidy shop 
may cause the customer to think that per¬ 
haps he is going to get slipshod service. 

The appearance of the man who meets 
the customer is also worthy of consid¬ 
eration. In many shops, he is nothing 
more nor less than a ragamuffin. It 
might be said that a man working with 
as active an agent as sulphuric acid can 
not be expected to wear any very fash¬ 
ionable apparel. But there are service 
stations, and they are not all large ones 
either, where the customer is met by a 
man whose clothes are at least whole, 
and whose general appearance is neat. 

Determining the Trouble 

Naturally the first thing to be done 
when a battery comes in is to test it to 
determine what is the matter. The re¬ 
sults of these tests will indicate the serv¬ 


ice to be rendered and this may be di¬ 
vided into three general classes—re¬ 
charge, estimate and repair. No ex¬ 
planation of the first class, is necessary, 
but the separation of jobs into the two 
latter classes requires some discussion. 

In case of internal troubles, it is dif¬ 
ficult and in many cases impossible to 
state exactly what the scope of the re¬ 
pairs necessary will be without opening 
the battery. Whenever possible the cus¬ 
tomer should be induced to wait while 
his battery is being opened so that he 
can be advised immediately of the extent 
of the repairs. If he sees the insides of 
his battery it is much easier to sell him 
on the necessity of the repairs than it is 
by an explanation over the telephone or 
by letter. 

In case he will not wait for his battery 
to be opened the job should be classed 
under the heading of estimate, and when 
a report is received from the shop, he 
should be advised and his permission ob¬ 
tained to proceed with the repairs. Of 
course, if the test and inspection of the 
battery indicate what repairs are nec¬ 
essary, it is classed as a repair job. 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


128 

There is a great variety of repair order 
forms and each has been worked out to 
fit some particular business. This form 
might be standardized, but it is better 
for each dealer to work one out that fits 
his own shop. There are two types in 
common use—one is a cardboard tag ar¬ 
ranged so that it can be torn into three 
pieces, and the other consists of the 


original order with two carbon copies. 

The repair order shown in Fig. 58 is 
printed on a cardboard and is divided 
into three sections as indicated by the 
heavy black lines, and each of these di¬ 
visions carries the repair order number. 
This card is filled out as completely as 
possible from the report of the tester. 
The claim check at the right is torn off 



Fig. 58 —This repair oraer is printed on cardboard and is divided into three 
parts. A separate rental contract is used with this form 



















































SHOP MANAGEMENT 


and given to the customer, and he must 
present it when he calls for his battery. 
The center section is retained by the of¬ 
fice and the left portion goes to the shop 
foreman. 

The center portion contains the most 
information and some of the items need 
further explanation. The space labelled 
“License No. or Order No.” serves two 
purposes. If the battery is brought in 
by an owner, his car license number is 
noted here, but if the job is received 
from a garage, the order number is 
placed in this space. In a large city, 
some identification in addition to the 
name and address is necessary and this 
is the reason for recording the license 
number. 

A check mark is used to indicate the 
character of the work to be done. If 
it is simply a recharge, the mark is 
placed in the proper box, or if an esti¬ 
mate is desired or a repair is necessary, 
it is noted accordingly. 

The date of receipt, the make of bat¬ 
tery, type and serial numbers are noted 
in the spaces provided for this informa¬ 


129 

tion. If a rental battery is furnished, 
its number is inserted after the word 
“Rental” and immediately below the 
. amount of the deposit received is en¬ 
tered. 

After the character of the repair has 
been determined, the material and labor 
necessary are itemized in the proper col¬ 
umns and the total cost of the job fig¬ 
ured up. 

This portion of the card is filed alpha¬ 
betically in an “unfinished” file while 
the work is in progress. When the job 
is completed, it is transferred to the 
finished file and the customer notified 
that his battery is ready for delivery. 
When the battery is delivered, if it is a 
cash sale, a cash sales slip is made out in 
duplicate. These slips are numbered to 
prevent any being lost, and this number 
is entered on the job ticket before it is 
filed permanently. The original of the 
cash sales slip is retained for the pur¬ 
pose of checking up the cash at the end 
of the day, and the duplicate is delivered 
to the customer. 

If it is a charge sale, a numbered 
charge sale slip is made out in duplicate 


130 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


which the customer signs and retains one 
copy. The invoice is made out from the 
other copy. The invoice number is en¬ 
tered on the job ticket. 

The stub on the left side of the form 
is for the use of the battery foreman, 
and he hangs this up on a board similar 
to the ordinary tool check board. This 
board is divided into three parts which 
are labelled recharge, estimate and re¬ 
pair. The stub is hung on whichever 
part of the board is indicated on the 
card. If the repairs are indicated, men¬ 
tion is made of what they are after the 
word “Remarks” such as Broken Jar or 
New Cell. 

Each morning, a list of the order 
numbers of the batteries ready for de¬ 
livery is made and these stubs are re¬ 
moved from the board and delivered to 
the office. The job ticket is removed 
from the unfinished file and transferred 
to the finished file, and the customer noti¬ 
fied. 

If it is an estimate job, the results of 
the inspection are delivered to the office 
and the customer’s 0. K. obtained before 
any further work is done. 


In connection with the job ticket, a 
rental contract is used where a battery is 
loaned. This form is filled out in dupli¬ 
cate and signed by the customer, who 
retains one copy. 



RENTAL DEPOSIT RECEIPT N? 8875 


R0. 59 Date__ __ 

--- ~ ,.t /AHitrui.__ 

Received of- 

The sum-of...... . n~ii r _ rirpotit 

on rental battery delivered on his order it being understood and agreed that this sum 
may be retained in whole or in part by us, to covin- charges or losses in connection with 
contract for said rental battery executed this day and of which this is a part 


F S. GASSAWAY. Inc. 

0.«.,TW.LC 

NOT If RtTURNtD IXCVIfT ON ftUftRCNOE* OP TNI* RCCt'PT 


Fig. 59 —Rental deposit slip. This 
form is filled out in triplicate. The 
original must be surrendered by the 
customer when the deposit is re¬ 
funded 

In case the results of the inspection 
of the battery show that it would be to 
the best interests of the customer to 
purchase a new battery, an exchange 
price is placed on his battery. When he 
is advised as to the cost of the repairs 












SHOP MANAGEMENT 


131 


he is also informed how much a new 
battery would cost him and how much 
the station will allow him for his old one. 
The comparison between the net cost of 
a new battery and the cost of repairs 
can then be drawn, and the sale of a 
replacement frequently results. 

The system worked out by F. S. Gass- 
away, Inc., New York City, is designed 
for an exceptionally large business, but 
by eliminating certain features it can 
be adapted to the average dealer. After 
the battery has been tested, and it is 
determined that it will have to be re¬ 
moved for recharge or repair, the cus¬ 
tomer goes to the office, pays a deposit 
on the rental and receives two copies of 
a rental deposit receipt. This form, 
which is shown in Fig. 59, is filled out 
in triplicate, the third copy being re¬ 
tained by the office. 

Meanwhile, the tester has removed the 
battery from the car and he accompanies 
the customer to the counter and gets a 
rental for him, for which one copy of 
the rental deposit slip is received. The 
man at the counter has instructions not 
to issue a rental battery unless he is 


given a receipt showing that the deposit 
is paid. This formality would not be 
necessary in a smaller station as there 
would be no chance of the customer get¬ 
ting a battery without paying a de¬ 
posit in a smaller organization. The 
original of the receipt is retained by 
the customer. 

The form shown in Fig. 60 is then 
filled out by the counter man in triplicate 
—the original is white, the first carbon 
is yellow and the second is cardboard. 
The battery is tagged with a lead tag 
numbered serially, and this number is 
put on the order. The number of the 
rental deposit slip is also put on this 
form. The customer signs the order and 
receives the claim check half of the 
original. 

The other half of the original is filed 
alphabetically in the office. The two 
carbons go with the battery to the shop. 
If a re-charge is ordered, and it is found 
that the battery will not take the charge, 
the first carbon is returned to the office 
with this information on it. The order 
blank shown in Fig. 61 is filled out with 
a check in the box opposite “Dismantle 


132 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 



Fig. 60 —This repair order is filled out in triplicate. Note the additional infoirrna- 
tion that appears on the carbons which does not appear on the original. The 
reverse side of the two carbon copies is printed as shown at A 












































SHOP MANAGEMENT 


133 


and report.” This form must be re¬ 
turned by the customer before anything 
further is done to the battery. In the 
average station, a telephone call could 
be substituted for this form, but due to 
the volume of business handled here, no 
chance is taken on a misunderstanding 
arising. 

The customer returns this form 
signed, and the first copy of the shop 
order is returned to the shop with the 
form shown in Fig. 62 properly filled 
out. The battery is then dismantled and 
the recommendations of the foreman are 
noted on the reverse side of both carbons 
of the job ticket. The first carbon is 
then returned to the office and another 
Order Blank is sent out with the proper 
instructions checked. When this is re¬ 
turned, the first carbon of the shop order 
is returned to the shop and the job is 
proceeded with. When the job is com¬ 
pleted both carbons of the order are re¬ 
turned to the office and customer is re¬ 
quested by mail to call for his battery. 

There is one more important part of 
this system and that is the log book. 
This is a large volume in which a com- 



Fig. 61— Order form which must be 
signed by the customer before work 
proceeds 

Fig. 62— Shop notice which is sent 
to the shop on receipt of the cus¬ 
tomer’s instructions 



















BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


134 

plete record of each transaction is kept. 
Columns are provided for noting each 
step in the history of each battery that 
conies in for attention. 

This system involves a large amount 
of clerical work, and, apparently, a good 
deal of red tape. But it is all necessary, 
as this station has no personal knowl¬ 
edge of the responsibility of a large per¬ 
centage" of its customers and it is 
therefore absolutely essential that writ¬ 
ten instructions be obtained before any 
work is undertaken. Where the volume 
of work is smaller, the dealer has an 
opportunity to become personally ac¬ 
quainted with his clientele, and is there¬ 
fore justified in proceeding on verbal in¬ 
structions. 

Getting Back a Rental Battery 

Some difficulty is occasionally experi¬ 
enced in getting customers to bring in a 
rental battery and secure their repaired 
battery. If no special system of keeping 
track of rentals is operated, the job 
tickets for all finished but undelivered 
jobs should be gone through weekly, and, 
if any length of time has elapsed since 


the job was completed, the rental should 
be followed up. 

This tracing is done by mail in some 
cases and in others by telephone. In 
the former instance, the first notice is 
merely a card telling the customer that 
his battery is ready for delivery. The 
second notice should be somewhat 
sharper but not too critical as the delay 
may be due to an oversight or to uncon¬ 
trollable conditions. 

If neither of these bring the battery 
in, the customer should receive individ¬ 
ual treatment in the form of a call or a 
personal letter. It is not advisable to use 
a form letter for this purpose, as better 
results will be obtained from a letter that 
is specially written to appeal to the 
particular person for whom it is in¬ 
tended. 

The form shown in Fig. 63 is used to 
keep track of rental batteries. The 
rental and type numbers are entered in 
the proper place at the top and bottom 
on both sides. When the rental is on the 
shelf awaiting installation in the cus¬ 
tomer’s car, the card is placed in the 
file with the “IN” end up and facing 


SHOP MANAGEMENT 


to the front of the box. When it goes 
out, the card is turned over and the date 
it leaves entered in the proper column 
under the word OUT. The order num¬ 
ber is also noted. It is then filed with 
the “OUT” end up. When the battery 
is returned the total rental charges are 
entered, the card is turned over and the 
date of its return marked under the word 
IN. The card is then filed. 

If the battery needs charging, the 
proper entry is made under ON 
CHARGE and the card filed with this 
end on view. In case repairs are neces¬ 
sary, the card is filed with this end up, 
while the battery is in the shop. 

This card keeps a continuous record of 
the whereabouts of every rental battery, 
and in addition carries a statement of 
its earnings and the expense of main¬ 
taining it. 

When the battery is delivered to the 
shop it must be marked in some way so 
that the shop foreman can connect it up 
with the job ticket. This is accomplished 
by attaching a tag bearing the repair 
order number to the handle of the bat¬ 
tery. The ordinary paper tag is not 


135 

suitable for this purpose because it will 
be destroyed by the acid. There are 
several different types of tags in common 
use. A small piece of sheet lead about 



Fig. 63 —Card form used to keep 
track of rental batteries. Space is 
provided to record both the mainte¬ 
nance charges and income on the 
battery 





























































136 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


2 x % in. with the order number stamped 
on it is used in a great many stations. A 
paper tag on which the order number is 
written after which the entire tag is 
dipped in paraffin as a protection serves 
the purpose very well. A round cellu¬ 
loid tag on which the order number is 
written is also used. This type of tag 
can be used repeatedly, as the number is 
easily erased and a new one substituted. 

Keeping Track of the Business 

For the average service station, a 
system is required that will keep proper 
track of the business and will make the 
operation of the shop efficient. The 
essentials of such a system are roughly 
as follows: 

1. On coming into the service station, 
the battery is tested and the proper 
treatment recommended. 

2. The order is then filled out. This 
should either be in triplicate or in three 
parts, so that the customer will receive 
a receipt for his battery, and there will 
be a copy for the shop and one for the 
office. The customer should sign the 
order. 


In addition to the name, address, tele¬ 
phone number, license number of car, 
this form should carry a complete de¬ 
scription of the customer’s battery, the 
rental battery number, shop instructions 
and a copy of the rental agreement, un¬ 
less a separate contract is used to cover 
the latter point. The shop copy or por¬ 
tion of the order should provide space 
for listing the cost of the time and ma¬ 
terial necessary to repair the battery. 

3. The battery and the order should 
carry the same number. The battery 
and the shop copy of the order then go 
to the shop. When instructions on the 
shop order are carried out, it is returned 
and the customer notified. 

4. The office copy of the order should 
be filed in an “unfinished file” while the 
job is in progress, and transferred to a 
finished file when it has been completed. 
When the battery is delivered, it should 
be removed from this file and placed in a 
permanent file. 

5. A cash sales slip should be made out 
for a cash sale when the battery is de¬ 
livered. The copies of these are used to 
make the daily check on the cash and 


SHOP MANAGEMENT 


also as vouchers for entries made in the 
books of the company. If it is a charge 
sale, the book entries should be made 
from the copies of the invoices. 

Rental batteries should have their 
numbers branded or painted on’them, 
and they should also carry the name of 
the station. Most stations paint them a 
distinctive color such as red or green so 
that there will be no chance of their be¬ 
coming mixed with other batteries. De¬ 
posits on rental batteries vary from $10 
to $50. 

What to Charge for Battery Service 

There are two methods of charging for 
service—the flat rate system, and the 
“time and materials” basis. The former 
seems to be very well adapted to the 
storage battery inasmuch as the service 
operations on a battery are comparative¬ 
ly few and the average labor charge for 
each can be very closely approximated. 
This system has the advantage that the 
dealer can inform the customer just what 
the cost of the job will be before any 
work is done. No set rates can be given 
for the different operations, however, as 


137 

these depend largely on local conditions. 

However the following list will give 
an idea of the relative costs of the vari¬ 
ous jobs as established by a New York 
service station: 

Recharging: 


6-volt ignition battery__$0.75 

6-volt starting-lighting battery 1.00 
12-volt starting-lighting battery 1.25 

16-volt and over . 1.50 

New acid and reforming battery.. 3.00 

Removing battery from car and 
installing another, $1 per hr. 

with minimum charge of.25 

Reseparating batteries: 

6-volt . 10.00 

12-volt . 12.50 

16-volt and over. 15.00 


Winter storage, wet. Monthly 
charge equal to recharging 
price for battery 

Winter storage, dry. Same price 
as given for reseparation. 

Seven days’ notice required for 
delivery. Battery guaranteed 
for six months from date of 
delivery 

New case with handles. List price 

of case plus labor charge of.. 2.50 








138 

New jar. List price of jar plus 

labor charge of .... 

More than one jar. List price of 
jar plus labor charge on each 

additional jar of. ; . 

New taper cable terminal, includ¬ 
ing attaching . 

Additional terminals, each 
Burning on one battery terminal. 

List price of terminal plus 

labor charge of. 

For each additional terminal on 

same battery . 

Resealing battery, all types and 
I sizes (exposed compound sur¬ 
face only) . 

Rental batteries, 25 cents per day, 
time figured from date of de¬ 
livery to date of return in¬ 
clusive. Minimum deposit of 
$15. 

Replacing broken molded covers, 
list price of cover plus labor 
charge of. 1.50 

The essential factors which spell the 
success or failure of any business apply 
without exception to the battery service 
station. Perhaps the obstacles that con¬ 
front the storage battery dealer are a 
little more difficult than those that must 


be surmounted in a great many other 
lines of business. But they can and are 
being overcome by men who have thought 
out a workable sales plan, and who have 
placed their houses in order so that they 
can take care of the business they secure. 

There is probably no part of the mod¬ 
ern automobile about which the average 
owner knows so little as the storage bat¬ 
tery. And yet when the battery gives 
trouble the owner is more likely to con¬ 
demn the battery than to admit that his 
difficulties are due to his own negligence. 
The maintenance and care of a battery 
are really very simple and take but little 
time as compared with other parts of 
the car; but because the battery keeps 
right on answering the demands of serv¬ 
ice without giving any visible or audible 
notice that it is being abused, it does not 
receive that periodic attention that it 
merits. 

Consequently the owner has no very 
high opinion of the reliability of his bat¬ 
tery, and this is a belief that the service 
station must combat. The greatest step 
that has been made to eliminate this 
trouble, is the free service plan that has 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 
2.00 

1.50 

1.00 
.75 

.75 
.50 

1.00 










SHOP MANAGEMENT 


been quite widely adopted. Although 
free service is not generally to be recom¬ 
mended, the objections are overlooked in 
this case, as it seems to offer the most 
satisfactory solution of getting the owner 
to bring his battery to the service sta¬ 
tion periodically. The result of these 
periodic inspections is that the battery 
is maintained, and that any troubles that 
may be present are discovered in their 
incipiency. The cost of this service is 
defrayed by the opportunity that is of¬ 
fered to secure recharge and repair busi¬ 
ness. 

The object of the service station should 
be to serve the best interests of the cus¬ 
tomer. In making a sale it should al¬ 
ways be remembered that the needs of 
the customer are to be filled at the least 
expense to him that is consistent with his 
interests. The question of how large a 
sale can be made should not be con¬ 
sidered. Only in this way can a reputa¬ 
tion for fair-dealing be built up. 

A good name is the greatest salesman 
that any business can have. A clever 
sales plan may bring in large volumes 


139 

of business but unless the merchandizing 
effort is backed up by a sincere desire to 
render honest service, a business can 
not be permanently successful. Cus¬ 
tomers that come back are of the great¬ 
est value. 

In serving the best interests of the 
customer, the internal organization and 
equipment of the business are also of 
prime importance. Both of these have 
an effect on the character and cost of 
service rendered. If the shop is not 
equipped to handle repair work in the 
most economical manner or if the or¬ 
ganization does not permit efficient oper¬ 
ation, then the cost of service will be 
more than it should. And this added 
expense, which could be lopped off, is 
borne by the customer. 

If you are in the battery business or 
contemplate entering it, give a little 
sober reflection to the question, “How 
can I serve the best interests of my 
customers?” On the correctness of the 
answer you formulate, will the success 
or failure of your business depend. 


CHAPTER XI 

Tables and Information for the Battery Repairman 


How to Ship a Battery. 

A battery should never be shipped 
without proper crating and packing. 
The ordinary rough handling is liable 
to do the battery severe damage. 

For shipping, the box or crate should 
be of the steeple type which is familiar 
to most battery men. The sides are cut 
out with a point at the top so that the 
battery cannot be set down upside down. 
If the sides also extend out in a point, 
the battery can then only be set down 
right side up. 

The inside dimensions of the box 
should be at least two inches larger than 
the battery each way. Cover the bot¬ 
tom of the box with excelsior or shav¬ 
ings about two inches thick and set the 
battery on this. Place heavy paper, pref¬ 


erably waxed, over the top of the bat¬ 
tery and then cover the whole battery 
with heavy wrapping paper, folding this 
down over the sides. Fill the space at 
the sides and ends of the battery with 
excelsior, shavings or wads of paper* 
ramming this all down tight. 

The top of the battery should be left 
free with only the paper on it. Nail 
slats across the top to keep the battery 
down in the box. This is preferable to 
a solid top. 

The box should be labeled “HANDLE 
WITH CARE” and “DO NOT DROP” 
and the full name and address of the 
consignee should be marked together 
with the name and address of the ship¬ 
per in case of non-delivery. 

If the battery is shipped by freight, 


140 


TABLES AND INFORMATION FOR BATTERY REPAIRMEN 


141 


the proper classification is “ELECTRIC 
STORAGE BATTERIES, ASSEM¬ 
BLED.” No railroad caution labels are 
required. 

If the battery is shipped by express, 
“ACID” caution labels are required. 


Thermometer Conversion Tables. 
Between Limits Found in Storage Bat¬ 
tery Practice. 


Fahr. 

Cent. 

Fahr. 

Cent. 

50 

10.0 

90 

32.2 

55 

12.8 

95 

35 

60 

15.6 

100 

37.8 

65 

18.3 

105 

40.6 

70 

21.1 

110 

43.3 

75 

23.9 

115 

46.1 

80 

26.7 

120 

48.9 

85 

29.4 




Comparison of Specific Gravity and 
Baume Scale. 

Some of the older books use *the term 
“Baume Scale” as applied to determin¬ 
ing the density of the electrolyte. This 
scale is not now used In this country, 
all references being in terms of specific 


gravity using pure water as 1. The fol¬ 
lowing conversion table is useful there¬ 
fore only as a matter of interest in trans¬ 
lating the older terms to the modern 
terms. 


Spec. Gr. 

Baume. 

Spec. Gr, 

. Baume. 

1.102 

13.5 

1.198 

24.0 

1.106 

14.0 

1.203 

24.5 

1.111 

14.5 

1.208 

25.0 

1.115 

15.0 

1.213 

25.5 

1.119 

15.5 

1.218 

26.0 

1.124 

16.0 

1.223 

26.5 

1.128 

16.5 

1.228 

27.0 

1.132 

17.0 

1.234 

27.5 

1.137 

17.5 

1.239 

28.0 

1.141 

18.0 

1.244 

28.5 

1.146 

18.5 

1.250 

29.0 

1.150 

19.0 

1.255 

29.5 

1.155 

19.5 

1.260 

30.0 

1.160 

20.0 

1.266 

30.5. 

1.164 

20.5 

1.271 

31.0 

1.169 

21.0 

1.277 

31.5 

1.174 

21.5 

1.283 

320 

1.178 

22.0 

1.288 

32.5 

1.183 

22.5 

1.294 

33.0 

1.188 

23.0 

1.300 

33.5 

1.193 

23.5 

1.306 

34.0 




142 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Electrical Units. 

The OHM is the unit of resistance. 

The AMPERE is the unit of current 
flow. 

The VOLT is the unit of potential or 
pressure. 

A resistance of 1 ohm will permit a 
current of 1 ampere to flow at a pressure 
of 1 volt. 

The WATT is the power developed in 
a circuit when 1 ampere flows through it 
and when the potential difference at its 
terminals is 1 volt. The number of 
watts equals the number of amperes 
multiplied by the number of volts. One 
watt equals 1/746 horsepower or in 
other words, 746 watts equal 1 horse¬ 
power. 


Safe Carrying Capacity of Copper Wire. 
B. & S. Gage. Safe Amperes. 

Rubber Covered. Weatherproof. 



Amperes. 

Amperes. 

2 

90 

125 

3 

80 

100 

4 

70 

90 

3 

55 

80 

6 

50 

70 

8 

35 

50 

10 

25 

30 

12 

20 

25 

14 

15 

20 

16 

6 

10 

18 

3 

3 


CHAPTER XII 

Glossary of Terms Used in Storage Battery Service 


Acid.—The active part of the electro¬ 
lyte. In storage batteries this is always 
sulphuric acid, with the exception of the 
Edison battery, which has an alkaline 
electrolyte. The density of pure acid is 
1.835 times that of water. Battery acid 
must 'be chemically pure; commercial 
acid will not do. 

Active Material.—The paste in be¬ 
tween the grids of the battery plates. 
In the positive plates this is lead perox¬ 
ide and in the negative it is spongy me¬ 
tallic lead. 

Alkaline.—Any chemical which is op¬ 
posite in its chemical nature to acid. 
Alkalines turn litmus paper blue, while 
acids turn it red. Ammonia and soda 
are alkalines and will neutralize acid 
action. 


Alternating Current.—Current which 
is taken from the armature of a genera¬ 
tor through collector rings instead of a 
commutator so that the direction of flow 
of the current changes every time an 
armature pole moves across a field pole. 
It will not charge a battery unless recti¬ 
fied, which means that only current of one 
direction is allowed to pass on one side. 

Ammeter.—An instrument for meas¬ 
uring the flow of current in amperes. 
An ammeter is always connected in 
series with the device whose current 
consumption is to be measured. 

Ampere.—A unit for measuring the 
amount of current flowing. The power 
consumed in a circuit equals 1 watt 
when it takes 1 volt to produce a cur¬ 
rent by 1 ampere. 


143 


144 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Ampere-Hour.—The unit of current 
flow in quantity equal to 1 ampere flow¬ 
ing for 1 hour, Vz ampere flowing for 
2 hours or 2 amperes flowing for Vz 
hour, etc. 

Balancing Electrolyte.—Adjusting the 
specific gravity of the electrolyte after 
the battery is completely charged. In 
starting and lighting batteries, the grav¬ 
ity is balanced to a point between 1.275 
and 1.300. This is done by adding either 
water or 1.400 acid, depending on 
whether the gravity is to be lowered or 
raised. After balancing, the battery is 
again put on charge till the gravity is 
constant. 

Battery.—A number of complete cells 
assembled into one case. Each cell gives 
2 volts nominally so that a three-cell 
battery will give 6 volts. 

Buckling.—Bending or warping of the 
battery plates so that they may break 
through separators or cause internal 
short circuits. 

Cadmium.—A metal which is positive 
to the negative plate and negative to the 
positive plate so that by inserting a piece 
of the metal in the electrolyte each in¬ 


dividual group of plates can be tested. 

Charging Rate.—The proper rate at 
which the battery should be charged. 
For a completely discharged battery, 
about one-tenth of the ampere-hour ca¬ 
pacity of the battery can be used and 
when the battery starts to gas and get 
hot, this is reduced to about one-twen¬ 
tieth of the ampere-hour capacity for a 
finishing rate. 

Compound.—The material between the 
battery jars and the case and over the 
covers. It melts when heated and is 
solid at ordinary temperatures. 

Connector.—The lead link that con¬ 
nects the positive terminal of one cell 
to the negative terminal of the next 
cell. 

Corrosion. — A greenish substance 
caused by acid attacking metal terminals 
and parts of the battery. Can be re¬ 
moved by washing the corrosion off and 
then washing with an alkaline solution. 

Cover.—The hard rubber top through 
which the post extends. This is covered 
with compound after the cell is assem¬ 
bled. 

Direct Current.—Current which is 


GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN 


taken from a generator through a com¬ 
mutator so that the current in one lead 
is always in the same direction. This is 
the kind of current which must be used 
to charge batteries. 

Dry Storage.—This consists of fully 
charging the battery, disassembling and 
pouring out the electrolyte after which 
the plates are washed and dried. The 
battery will keep in this condition for a 
long time without deterioration. 

Electrolyte.—The solution in which the 
plates are immersed. It consists of ap¬ 
proximately three parts of water to one 
part of chemically pure sulphuric acid 
by volume. The gravity of a fully 
charged battery is between 1.275 and 
1.300 and the gravity of a discharged 
battery is 1.150. 

External Circuit.—That part of the 
circuit outside the battery. 

Farm Light Plant.—A small plant 
consisting of a gasoline engine and a 
generator. The voltage is usually 32 but 
some are made in 55 and 110 volts. These 
plants can be used for charging bat¬ 
teries. 

Filling Tube.—The tube in the cell 


STORAGE BATTERY SERVICE 145 

cover through which water is added to 
the cell. 

Finishing Rate.—The charging rate 
that is used toward the end of the charge. 
This is usually about one-twentieth of 
the ampere-hour capacity of the battery. 

Grid.—The metal structure of the plate 
which holds the active material. It has 
a lug at the top which is burned to the 
strap. 

Hydrometer. — An instrument for 
measuring the specific gravity of the 
electrolyte. A hydrometer for battery 
use must be of the “Heavier-than-water” 
type and be graduated between 1.100 and 
1.325. 

Hydrometer Syringe.—A hydrometer 
contained in a glass syringe with rubber 
bulb and rubber tube so that the electro¬ 
lyte can be drawn up around the hy¬ 
drometer. 

Internal Circuit.—That part of the 
circuit inside the battery. 

Internal Discharge.—A leakage of 
current inside the battery. Sometimes 
caused by buckled plates, sediment too 
high in the sediment well or defective 
separators. 


146 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Internal Resistance.—The resistance 
that the cell offers to the passage of the 
current as contradistinguished from the 
external resistance which is the resist¬ 
ance offered by wiring and electrical 
devices. 

* Internal Short Circuit.—Caused by 
two plates touching or by a conductor 
touching two of the plates. 

Isolator.—A form of construction used 
in the Vesta battery by means of which 
the plates are kept apart through 
spacers at the side. 

Jar.—The hard rubber container that 
holds the assembled positive and nega¬ 
tive groups and the electrolyte. 

Lead Burning.—Melting the straps, 
connectors and other lead parts together 
with a gas flame or electric arc. 

Local Action.—The chemical action 
that takes place between two parts of 
the same plate as between the active ma¬ 
terial and the grid. 

Motor-Generator.—An electric motor 
connected to a generator. Usually the 
motor is alternating current or of a 
voltage not suitable for charging and the 
generator is direct current for charging. 


Overcharge.—Continuing to charge the 
battery after the gravity has remained 
constant for a considerable period, thus 
indicating that the battery is fully 
charged. This usually occurs when the 
battery is in the car when a good deal 
of driving is done in the daytime and 
there is little drain on the battery from 
lights or starter. 

Overdischarge.—The withdrawal of 
current from the battery after the grav¬ 
ity of the electrolyte has dropped to 
1.150 and the voltage to 1.75 per cell. 
This usually occurs when the car is 
driven much at night with the lamps 
burning or when the starter is used so 
much that more current is withdrawn 
from the battery than the generator 
can put back. 

Overheating.—Charging the battery at 
too high a rate so that the temperature 
rises above 105 deg. Fahr. Overheating 
is usually accompanied by gassing and 
is always an indication that the charg¬ 
ing rate is too high. 

Plate.—The lead grid containing the 
paste of active material. Plates are as¬ 
sembled together in positive and nega- 


GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN 

tive groups, the positives being brown or 
reddish and the negatives gray. 

Plate Rack.—A slotted contrivance 
for equally spacing and holding the 
plates while the strap is burned on. 

Primary Battery.—A chemical cell 
which generates current by a chemical 
action which cannot be reversed to 
bring the elements back to their original 
condition. In the case of a storage bat¬ 
tery the chemical action is reversible. 

Rectifier.—A device for changing al¬ 
ternating current into direct current for 
battery charging. The mercury arc and 
aluminum plate are two methods used. 
There is also an interrupter type. 

Rental Battery.—One which is kept 
on hand by the service station to rent 
to car owners while their own batteries 
are being charged or repaired. They 
are usually painted red or green. 

Rheostat.—An adjustable resistance 
for reducing the current flowing to the 
batteries. The resistance coils are usu¬ 
ally of German silver or iron wire in 
coils and a handle provides the control. 

Sealing Nut.—The nut on the out- 


STUKAGE BATTERY SERVICE 147 

side of the cover which goes around the 
post and makes a tight joint. 

Separator.—The device which keeps 
adjacent plates from touching each other. 
These may be of wood, rubber or cellu¬ 
loid. If of wood, it is of a porous va¬ 
riety with grooves in one side. If of 
rubber, it is perforated with a large 
number of small holes for the passage 
of the electrolyte. 

Shedding.—The gradual dropping off 
of particles of the active material. This 
is natural and is a result of the ordinary 
cycles of charge and discharge of the 
battery. 

Slopping.—The spilling of electrolyte 
out through the filling plugs. 

Specific Gravity.—The weight of the 
electrolyte compared to pure water 
which is arbitrarily assumed as 1. The 
gravity of a starting and lighting bat¬ 
tery varies between 1.275-1.300 for a 
fully charged battery down to 1.150 for 
a fully discharged battery. 

Steamer.—A steam generating device 
used to soften the sealing compound 
with a number of rubber tubes and con¬ 
nections or a steam box. 


148 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Strap.—The lead casting to which the 
plates on one group are burned. 

Sulphation.—The formation of white 
lead sulphate on the plates. This is due 
to overdischarge, allowing the level of 
the electrolyte to get below the tops of 
the plates or to manufacturing defects 
in the plate. A certain amount of sul¬ 
phate is natural and is necessary to the 
cycle of charge and discharge but a large 
amount is an indication of neglect or 
abuse. 

Terminal.—The positive or negative 
post connections to which are connected 
the cables to the outside circuit. 

Voltage.—The electrical potential or 
pressure of the current. 


Voltam meter. — A combined instru¬ 
ment to measure the flow of the current 
in amperes or the pressure in volts de¬ 
pending on the connections used. The 
scale is graduated to read volts or am¬ 
peres direct. 

Voltmeter.—An instrument to meas¬ 
ure the potential or pressure of the cur¬ 
rent. It is always connected across the 
lines of the circuit to be tested and never 
in series. 

Wet Storage.—The storage of the bat¬ 
tery during a period of inaction without 
disassembling the battery or pouring off 
the electrolyte. This method requires 
the occasional charge of the battery to 
keep it in good shape. 


CHAPTER XIII 


List of Manufacturers of Batteries, Parts, Equipment and Tools 
for Repairing and Testing 


Acid Proof Paint 

Bradley & Vrooman Co., 2629-40 Dear¬ 
born St., Chicago, Ill. 

Columbus Varnish Co., Columbus, 0. 
Durkee-Attwood Co., 707-13 3rd St., N., 
Minneapolis, Minn. 

Ferry-Mark Mfg. Co., 2117-23 S. 4th St., 
St. Louis, Mo. 

Ammeters and Voltmeters 

Portable type for testing batteries. 
See also Ammeters and Voltmeters, 
switchboard type. 

American Bureau of Engineering, Michi¬ 
gan Ave. & 16th St., Chicago, Ill. 
Ballman-Whitten Mfg. Co., 4060 Forest 
Park Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. 


Burton-Rogers Co., 755 Boylston St., 
Boston, Mass. (Hoyt) 

Clark Electric Meter Co., 1330 12th St., 
Detroit, Mich. 

Dow Mfg. Co., 131 Adams St., Braintree, 
Mass. 

Edelmann & Co., E., 2638 N. Crawford 
Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

Eldredge Electric Mfg. Co., 7 Post Office 
Sq., Springfield, Mass. 

Harvard Electric Co., 525 W. Van Buren 
St., Chicago, Ill. 

Jewell Electrical Instrument Co., 1648 
W. Walnut St., Chicago, Ill. 

Nagel Electric Co., W. G., Toledo, O. 

Readrite Meter Wks., N. Main St., Bluff- 
ton, O. 

Reliance Instrument Co., 1135 Van Buren 
St., Chicago, Ill. 


149 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


150 

Ammeters and Voltmeters—(Continued) 

Roller-Smith Co., Woolworth Bldg., New 
York, N. Y. 

Shontz Co., H. B., 157 West 54th St., New 
York, N. Y. 

Standard Electric Mfg. Co., 126 South 
St., Newark, N. J. 

Sterling Mfg. Co., Cleveland, 0. 

Weston Electrical Instrument Co., 16 
Weston Ave., Newark, N. J. 

Ammeters and Voltmeters 

Switchboard type for charging appa¬ 
ratus. 

Burton-Rogers Co., 755 Boylston St., 
Boston, Mass. (Hoyt) 

Clark Electric Meter Co., 1330 12th St., 
Detroit, Mich. 

General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. 
Harvard Electric Co., 525 W. Van Buren 
St., Chicago, Ill. 

Jewell Electrical Instrument Co., 1648 
Walnut St., Chicago, Ill. 

Keystone Electrical Instrument Co., 
Wayne & Windrim Aves., Philadelphia, 
Pa. 


Norton Electrical Instrument Co., Man¬ 
chester, Conn. 

Pignolet, Louis M., 78 Cortlandt St., New 
York, N. Y. 

Queen-Gray Co., 616-18 Chestnut St., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

Reliance Instrument Co., 1185 Van Bu¬ 
ren St., Chicago, Ill. 

Robert Instrument Co., 56 Shelby St., 
Detroit, Mich. 

Roller-Smith Co., Woolworth Bldg., New 
York, N. Y. 

Sterling Mfg. Co., 2845 Prospect Ave., 
Cleveland, 0. 

Weston Electrical Instrument Co., 16 
Weston Ave., Newark, N. J. 

Batteries, Ignition, Starting and Lighting 

Acme Storage Battery Corp., 19-23 Main 
St., Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 

Ajax Accumulator Co., 414 Rush St., 
Chicago, Ill. 

Ajax Storage Battery Co., Passaic, N. J. 

American Battery Co., 1711 Grand Ave., 
Kansas City, Mo. (Strongheart) 

American Battery Co., 1132-34 Fulton 
St., Chicago, Ill. (Invincible) 


MANUFACTURERS OF BATTERIES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. 151 


Batteries—(Continued) 

American Ever Ready Works of Na¬ 
tional Carbon Co., Long Island City, 
N. Y. (Geiszler, Midget and Ever- 
ready). 

American Storage Battery Co., Cam¬ 
bridge, Mass. 

Am-Plus Storage Battery Co., 741-45 W. 
Van Buren St., Chicago, Ill. 

Ashbrook Electric Co., 4111 Ravenswood 
Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

Atlas Electric Storage Battery Co., 
Grove St., Greenville, Mich. 

Aurora Battery Mfg. Wks., Aurora, Ill. 

Barco Battery Co., 83 W. Fort St., De¬ 
troit, Mich. 

Battery Service Corp., Philadelphia, Pa. 
(Kelco). 

Brown-Smith Battery Co., Bloomington, 
Ind. 

Burgess Battery Co., Harris Trust Bldg., 
Chicago, Ill. (Burgess). 

Calumet Storage Battery Co., 10113 In¬ 
dianapolis Ave., Chicago, Ill. (Epoch). 

Campbell Electric Co., 1408 McGee St., 
Kansas City, Mo. 


Carleton Co., 170 Summer St., Boston, 
Mass. 

Carlile & Doughty, 2530 N. Broad St., 
Philadelphia, Pa. (C & D) 

Chain Battery System, 2332 S. Michigan 
Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

Champion Storage Battery Co., Pough¬ 
keepsie, N. Y. (Challenge) 

Chicago Ignition Supply Co., 308 N. 
Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. (C. I. S. 
C. O.) 

Cincinnati Storage Battery Co., 228-30 
Stark St., Cincinnati, O. 

Cole Storage Battery Co., Indiana Ave. 

and 24th St., Chicago, Ill. 

Columbia Storage Battery Co., 313 Ohio 
St., Terre Haute, Ind. 

Commercial Battery Co., 759-61 Boston 
Ave., Chicago, Ill. (Combat) 

Cook Railway Signal Co., 1793 S. Broad¬ 
way, Denver, Col. (Re Vivo) 

Cooper Storage Battery Mfg. Co., 8th & 
Union Sts., Cincinnati, O. 

Co-operative Battery Co., 7500 Michigan 
Ave., St. Louis, Mo. (Century) 

Cowie, E. S. Electrical Co., 1816 McGee 
St., Kansas City, Mo. (Cowie) 


152 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Batteries—(Continued) 

Crown Battery Co., 25 Montcalm St., W., 
Detroit, Mich. 

Davis-Lynn Storage Battery Mfg. Co., 
486 Chestnut St., Lynn, Mass. 

Detroit Battery Co., 500 Howard St., 
Detroit, Mich. 

Dixie Battery & Mfg. Co., 3rd & Ten¬ 
nessee Sts., Pine Bluff, Ark. 

Dixie Storage Battery Co., 1412-18 W. 
Lafayette Ave., Baltimore, Md. 

Doty, R. B., Battery Wks., 11525 Kelton 
Ave., Cleveland, O. (Lawrence) 

Edison Storage Battery Co., 131 Lake¬ 
side Ave., Orange, N. J. 

Edwards Guaranteed Battery Co., 820 
S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, Cal. 

Electric Storage Battery Co., Allegheny 
Ave. & 19th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
(Exide) 

Electric Supply & Battery Co., 7510 
Woodland Ave., S. E., Cleveland, 0. 

Electrolyte Storage Battery Co., 1309 
Race St., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Federal Battery Mfg. Corp., 620-22 F St., 
N. W., Washington, D. C. 


Fort Wayne Battery Mfg. Co., Fort 
Wayne, Ind. (Samson) 

Gabel, A. H. Co., Inc., Goodman St. & 
Monroe Ave., Rochester, N. Y. 

General Lead Batteries Co., 4 Lister 
Ave., Newark, N. J. (Titan) 

General Storage Battery Co., 2005 Locust 
St., St. Louis, Mo. 

Gillette Storage Battery Co., 2115-19 
Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

Gould Storage Battery Co., 30 E. 42nd 
St., New York, N. Y. 

Grosche, F. W., 219 W. Mulberry St, 
Baltimore, Md. 

Hartford Battery Mfg. Co., Hartford, 
Conn. 

Heissler Storage Battery Co., 2506-10 
Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago, III. 
(Hytork) 

Hobbs Storage Battery Co., 1231-35 S. 

Olive St., Los Angeles, Cal. 

Imperial Storage Battery Co., 1348 N. 

Clark St., Chicago, Ill. 

Ionite Storage Battery Co., 456 Park 
Ave., Worcester, Mass. 

Keeler Battery Co., 134 Ontario St., 
Toledo, O. 


MANUFACT UREKiS OF BATTERIES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. 153 


Batteries—(Continued) 

Keystone Storage Battery Co., 2036 San- 
som St., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Koener Battery Mfg. Industry, 2750 
Racine Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

Luthy Storage Battery Co., 1170 Broad¬ 
way, New York, N. Y. 

Lyons & Co., A. H., Stephen Girard 
Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa. 

McCauley Storage Battery Co., 1060 St. 
Clair Ave., Cleveland, O. 

Mac-Lar Battery Co., Third & Howard 
Sts., Detroit, Mich. 

Marko & Co., Paul M., 1402 Atlantic 
Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Mentzer & Co., J. P., 134 S. La Salle St., 
Chicago, Ill. 

Milwaukee Auto Specialty Co., 705-15 
Chestnut St., Milwaukee, Wis. (Ra¬ 
dium Masco) 

Minnesota Storage Battery Co., 189-91 
W. 6th St., St. Paul, Minn. 

Molter Service Co., 19 S. La Salle St., 
Chicago, Ill. (M & M) 

Muller, Albert, Hoffman Bvd. & Hillside 
Ave., Jamaica, L. I., N. Y. (Porox) 

Multiple Storage Battery Co., Van Wyck 
Ave. & L. I. R. R., Jamaica, L. I., N. Y. 


National Carbon Co., Cleveland, O. (Co¬ 
lumbia) 

National Lead Battery Co., Minneapolis, 
Minn. 

Nott Co., W. S., 2nd Ave. N. & 3rd St., 
Minneapolis, Minn. (Bulldog) 

Paragon Battery Service Co., 1192 E. 
Jefferson Ave., Detroit, Mich. 

Perfection Storage Battery Co., 2901-09 
Indiana Ave., Chicago, Ill. (Jupiter) 

Permalife Storage Battery Co., Mer¬ 
chants Bank Bldg., Indianapolis, IncF. 

Philadelphia Storage Battery Co., On¬ 
tario & C Sts., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Premier Motor Products Co., 3905 N. 
Robey St., Chicago, Ill. 

Prest-O-Lite Co., 30 E. 42nd St., New 
York, N. Y. 

Schug Electric Mfg. Co., 256 Larned 
Ave., Detroit, Mich. 

Silvey Electric Co., 10-16 S. Canal St., 
Dayton, O. 

Standard Storage Battery Co., 146 3rd 
St., Detroit, Mich. (Master) 

U. S. Light & Heat Corp., Niagara Falls, 
N. Y. (U-S-L) 

Universal Battery Co., 3410-24 S. La 
Salle St., Chicago, Ill. 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


154 

Batteries— (Continued) 

Utility Battery Co., 123 W. Madison St., 
Chicago, Ill. 

Vesta Battery Co., 2100 Indiana Ave., 
Chicago, Ill. 

Victor Storage Battery Co., 7th St. & 
4th Ave., Moline, Ill. (S.O.S.) 

Volkar Storage Battery Co., 2437 Michi¬ 
gan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

Willard Storage Battery Co., Cleveland, O. 
Witherbee Storage Battery Co., 643-45 
W. 43rd St., New York, N. Y. 
Wiitmann Co., 205 S. 11th St., Lincoln, 
Neb. 

Wolke Lead Batteries Co., 918 E. Main 
St., Louisville, Ky. (Wol-Kee Red 
Cap) 

Zoar Battery Co., Zoar, 0. 

Battery Acid and Electrolyte 
In addition to the following manufac¬ 
turers of battery acid, makers of storage 
batteries carry large supplies of concen¬ 
trated and dilute acid in carboys ready 
for shipment. 

Central Chemical Co., Hammond, Ind. 
Cochrane Chemical Co., 148 State St., 
Boston, Mass. 


Contact Process Co., Abbott Road, Buf¬ 
falo, N. Y. 

Du Pont de Nemours & Co., 120 Broad¬ 
way, New York, N. Y. 

Ferry-Mark Mfg. Co., 2117-23 S. 4th St., 
St. Louis, Mo. 

General Chemical Co., 25 Broad St., New 
York, N. Y. 

Grasselli Chemical Co., 347 5th Ave., 
New York, N. Y. 

Kalbfleisch Corp., 31 Union Sq., W., 
New York, N. Y. 

Riverside Acid Wks., Warren, Pa. 

United Chemical & Organic Products Co., 
Ill W. Washington St., Chicago, Ill. 

Battery Fillers 

Armand Machine Wks., 442-50 N. Wells 
St., Chicago, Ill. 

General Scientific Equipment Co., Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa. 

Hunter Corp., John, Fulton, N. Y. 

Luthy Hydrometer Co., 97 Woodward 
Ave., Detroit, Mich. 

Reliable Mfg. Co., Cleveland, O. 

Shontz Co., H. B., 157 W. 54th St., New 
York, N. Y. 


MANUFACTURERS OF BATTERIES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. 155 


Battery Jars 

In addition to the following manufac¬ 
turers, the makers of batteries are able 
to supply battery jars for their own 
batteries. 

American Hard Rubber Co., 9 Mercer 
St., New York, N. Y. 

American Para Rubber Co., 102 Mer¬ 
chants Exchange Bldg., St. Louis, Mo. 
Diamond Rubber Co., Inc., Akron, 0. 
Goodrich Co., B. F., Akron, 0. 

India Rubber Co., New Brunswick, N. J. 
Luzerne Rubber Co., Trenton, N. J. 
Premier Rubber & Insulation Co., Ed¬ 
mund St., Dayton, 0. 

Stokes Rubber Co., Trenton, N. J. 

United States Rubber Co., 1790 Broad¬ 
way, New York. N. Y. 

Battery Separators 
In addition to the following manufac¬ 
turers, the battery makers are able to 
supply separators for their own batteries. 

American Hard Fiber Co., 11 Mercer St., 
New York, N. Y. 

Ashbrook Electric Co., 4111 Ravenswood 
Ave., Chicago, Ill. 


Baltimore Battery Separator Co., West- 
port, Baltimore, Md. 

Burt, W. A., 20 E. Woodbridge St., De¬ 
troit, Mich. 

Darling Co., Len H., Addison, Mich. 

Diamond Rubber Co., Inc., Akron, 0. 

Ferry-Mark Mfg. Co., 2117-23 S. 4th St., 
St. Louis, Mo. 

Heath Mfg. Co., Greenville, Mich. 

Luzerne Rubber Co., Muirheid Ave., 
Trenton, N. J. 

Marvin Engineering Corp., Laurence, 
67 S. La Salle St., Aurora, Ill. 

Price Storage Battery Co., W. F., 2729 
N. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Stewart Estate, William E., 14th & Elm 
Sts., Flint, Mich. 

United States Rubber Co., 1790 Broad¬ 
way, New York, N. Y. 

Battery Steamers 

American Bureau of Engineering, Michi¬ 
gan Ave. & 16th St., Chicago, Ill. 
(Ambu) 

Barnstead Still & Sterilizer Co., Lanes- 
ville Terrace, Forest Hills, Boston, Mass. 

Electrical Testing Co., 300 Knoxville 
Ave., Peoria, Ill. 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


156 

Battery Steamers—(Continued) 

Globe Machine & Stamping Co., 1280 
W. 76th St., Cleveland, 0. 

Hauck Mfg. Co., 101-113 11th St., Brook¬ 
lyn, N. Y. 

Illinois Battery Steamer Co., 607 Spencer 
St., Peoria, Ill. 

Orum, S. R. M., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Xander, J. G., 824-26 Court St., Reading, 
Pa. 

Battery Turntables 

American Bureau of Engineering, Michi¬ 
gan Ave. & 16th St., Chicago, Ill. 

Continental Auto Parts Co., 1807 E. 17th 
St., Columbus, Ind. 

Burning Lead 

National Lead Co., 11 Broadway, New 
York, N. Y. 

Cadmium Test Set 

American Bureau of Engineering, Michi¬ 
gan Ave. & 16th St., Chicago, Ill. 

Charging Clips 

Automobile Ignition Supply Co., 1124 
Michigan Blvd., Chicago, Ill. 

Electric Service Eng. Co., 1313 Broad¬ 
way, Denver, Col. 


Ferry-Mark Mfg. Co., 2119 S. 4th St., 
St. Louis, Mo. 

France Mfg. Co., 10325 Berea Rd., Cleve¬ 
land, O. 

Frankel Display Fixture Co., 177 Hud¬ 
son St., New York, N. Y. 

Hartung, Charles F., Higgins Bldg., Los 
Angeles, Cal. 

Morse, Frank W., Boston, Mass. 

Mueller Electric Co., 442 High Ave., 
Cleveland, O. 

Reliable Mfg. Co., Cleveland, 0. 

Connectors for Rental Batteries 

Bensen Electric Co., 704 Southwest Bvd., 
Kansas City, Mo. 

Connector Remover and Adapter Puller 
for Columbia 

Xander, J. G., 824-26 Court St., Reading, 
Pa. 

Dynamos and Motor Generators 

In addition to the following manufac¬ 
turers of dynamos and motor generators, 
see list of farm light plants, which can 
also be used for battery charging. This 


MANUFACTURERS OF BATTERIES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. 157 


Dynamos and Motor Generators (Con’t’d) 

list does not include small generators for 

installation on the car. 

Acme Electric & Mfg. Co., Cleveland, 0. 

Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co., Milwaukee,Wis. 

Andrea & Sons Co., Julius, 358-64 Broad¬ 
way, Milwaukee, Wis. 

Automatic Electrical Devices Co., 120 
Opera PI., Cincinnati, 0. 

Burke Electric Co., Erie, Pa. 

Cleveland Electric Motor & Mfg. Co., 
5518 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 0. 

Cushman Electric Co., Concord, N. H. 

Diehl Mfg. Co., Trumbull & Second Sts., 
Elizabethport, N. J. 

Electric Products Co., Cleveland, 0. 

Fairbanks-Morse & Co., 900 S. Wabash 
Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. 

Hobart Bros. Co., Troy, 0. 

Holtzer Cabot Electric Co., Roxbury,Mass. 

Main Electric Co., Cleveland, 0. 

Northwestern Electric Co., 611-15 W. 
Adams St., Chicago, Ill. 

Robbins & Myers Co., Springfield, 0. 

St. Louis Electrical Wks., 4060 Forest 
Park Bvd., St. Louis, Mo. 


Sprague Electric Wks., 527 W. 34th St., 
New York, N. Y. 

Superior Engineering Co., Jenkins Ar¬ 
cade, Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Western Electric Co., 195 Broadway, 
New York, N. Y. 

Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., East 
Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Farm Light Plants 

Used for charging batteries. See also 
list of Dynamos and Motor Generators. 

Alamo Farm Light Co., 703 Tower Bldg., 
Chicago, Ill. 

Automatic Light Co., Inc., Ludington, 
Mich. (Holt) 

Delco-Light Co., Dayton, 0. 

Electric Auto Light Corp., Toledo, O. 
(Willys-Light) 

Electromagnetic System Co., 2136 Michi¬ 
gan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 
Fairbanks-Morse & Co., 900 S. Wabash 
Ave., Chicago, Ill. (Morlite) 

General Gas Electric Co., 7th & Middle 
Sts., Hanover, Pa. 

Kewanee Private Utilities Co., Kewanee, 
Ill. 


158 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Farm Light Plants—(Continued) 

Lalley Electro Lighting Corp., 759 Belle¬ 
vue Ave., Detroit, Mich. 

Langstadt-Meyer Co., Appleton, Wis. 
(L. M.) 

Lauraine Magneto Co., Ely Ave. & 13th 
St., Long Island City, N. Y. 

Main Electric Co., Merion Bldg., Cleve¬ 
land, 0. 

Matthews Engineering Co., 410 Monroe 
St., Sandusky, 0. 

National Electric Lighting Co., Wilton, la. 

Owen & Co., R. M., 1765 Broadway, New 
York, N. Y. 

Perfection Storage Battery Co., 500 E. 
40th St., Chicago, Ill. 

Phelps Light & Power Co., Rock Island, Ill. 

Suburban Lighting Co., Lagrange & 
Summit Sts., Toledo, 0. 

Sunnyhome Electric Co., 725 Scotten 
Ave., Detroit, Mich. 

Superior Engineering Co., Jenkins Ar¬ 
cade, Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Unilectric Corp., 225-35 Mt. Elliott Ave., 
Detroit, Mich. 

Universal Motor Co., Oshkosh, Wis. 

Warnerlite Products Corp., 518 Harrison 
St., Davenport, la. 


Fluted Reamer for Connectors and 
Covers 

Shontz Co., H. B., 157 W. 54th St., New 
York, N. Y. 

Hydrometers (Electrolyte) 

Armand Machine Wks., 442-50 N. Wells 
St., Chicago, Ill. 

Beck & Co., Oscar, 280 Maujer St., 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Beckley Ralston Co., 1801 Michigan 
Ave., Chicago. 

Dossman Accessory Co., 2905 Marshall 
Ave., Cincinnati, O. 

Edelmann & Co., E. 2138 N. Crawford 
Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

General Scientific Equipment Co., Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa. 

Griebel Instrument Co., Carbondale, Pa. 

Lacey Co., 3 Fountain St., Grand Rapids, 
Mich. 

Luthy Hydrometer Co., 97 Woodward 
Ave., Detroit, Mich. 

Moeller, A. E., 261 Sumpter St., Brook¬ 
lyn, N. Y. 

Queen-Gray Co., 616-18 Chestnut St., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 


MANUFACTURERS OF BATTERIES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. 159 


Hydrometers—(Continued) 

Scranton Glass Instrument Wks., 322 
Washington St., Scranton, Pa. 

Stadeker Metal Specialty Co., 358 W. 

Madison St., Chicago, Ill. 

Steiner Mfg. Co., Long Island City, N.Y. 
Tagliabue Mfg. Co., C. J., 18-88 33rd 
St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Universal Products Co., 622 W. Lake St., 
Chicago, Ill. 

Weinhagen, H., 159-65 Leonard St., New 
York, N. Y. 

Weiss & Son, Albert A., 572 Gates Ave., 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Workrite Mfg. Co., 5602 Euclid Ave., 
Cleveland, 0. 

Lead Burning Apparatus (Electric) 

General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. 
(Pyrotyp) 

Southern Electric Co., 15 Light St., Balti¬ 
more, Md. 

Lead Burning Apparatus (Gas) 

Any oxy-acetylene, oxy-hydrogen or 
other welding and cutting apparatus can 


be used for this work by using a small 

tip. The following apparatus is claimed 

to be especially adapted to the work. 

AdmiraliWelding Machine Co., 413-15 E. 
15th St., Kansas City, Mo. 

Ashton Laird & Co., 603-07 W. 43rd St., 
New York, N. Y. 

Bastian-Blessing Co., W. Austin Ave. 
& La Salle St., Chicago, Ill. 

Bertschy Mfg. & Eng. Co., 20th & Har¬ 
vey Sts., Omaha, Neb. 

Cox Brass Mfg. Co., Albany, N. Y. 
(Oxilum) 

Davis-Bournonville Co., Van Wagenen 
Ave., Jersey City, N. J. 

Economy Welding Machine Co., 2007 Cen¬ 
tral St., Kansas City, Mo. 

Ferry-Mark Mfg. Co., 2117-23 S. 4th St., 
St. Louis, Mo. 

Henderson-Willis Welding & Cutting 
Co., 2305 N. 11th St., St. Louis, Mo. 

Imperial Brass Mfg. Co., 1234 W. Har¬ 
rison St., Chicago, Ill. 

Modern Engineering Co., 23rd & Walnut 
Sts., St. Louis, Mo. 

Prest-O-Lite Co., 30 E. 42nd St., New 
York, N. Y. 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


160 

Lead Burning Apparatus (Gas)—(Con’d) 

Superior Oxy-Acetylene Machine Co., 
1102 E. High St., Hamilton, 0. 

Turner Brass Wks., Sycamore, Ill. 

United States Welding Co., 211 1st Ave., 
Minneapolis, Minn. 

Lead Molds 

American Bureau of Engineering, Michi¬ 
gan Ave. & 16th St., Chicago, Ill. 

Carlile & Doughty, Inc., 2530 N. Broad 
St., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Panels and Switchboards 

Andrae & Sons Co., Julius, 362 Broad¬ 
way, Milwaukee, Wis. 

Automatic Electrical Devices Co., 120 
Opera PL, Cincinnati, O. 

Cutler Hammer Mfg. Co., 890 St. Paul 
Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. 

Cutter Co., Geo., Notre Dame & Division 
Sts., South Bend, Ind. 

Electric Products Co., Cleveland, O. 

Friday Machine & Supply Co., 20 Main 
St., Sigourney, la. 

General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. 


Hertner Electric & Mfg. Co., 1905 W. 
112th St., Cleveland, O. 

National Electric Lighting Co., Wilton 
Junction, la. 

St. Louis Electrical Wks., 4060 Forest 
Park Bvd., St. Louis, Mo. 

Ward Leonard Electric Co., Mount 
Vernon, N. Y. 

Plate Burning Racks 

American Bureau of Engineering, Michi¬ 
gan Ave. & 16th St., Chicago, Ill. 

Ferry-Mark Mfg. Co., 2117-23 S. 4th 
St., St. Louis, Mo. 

Plate Presses 

American Bureau of Engineering, Michi¬ 
gan Ave. & 16th St., Chicago, Ill. 

Superior Tool & Engine Co., 611 N. 
Capitol Ave., Indianapolis, Ind. 

Post Builders 

Service Products Co., Springfield, O. 

Rectifiers for Charging Batteries from 
Alternating Current 

American Battery Co., 1132-34 Fulton 
St., Chicago, Ill. 


MANUFACTURERS OF BATTERIES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. 161 


Rectifiers—(Continued) 

Ashbrook Electric Co., 4111 Ravens- 
wood Ave., Chicago, Ill. 

Automatic Electrical Devices Co., 120 
Opera PI., Cincinnati, 0. 

Clapp Eastham Co., 139 Main St., Cam¬ 
bridge, Mass. 

Electric Controller & Mfg. Co., Cleve¬ 
land, 0. 

Electric Converter Co., Toledo, 0. 

Electric Economy Co., Hyde Park, Mass. 

Electric Products Co., Cleveland. (Wot- 
ton) 

Fore Electrical Mfg. Co., 5255 N. Mar¬ 
ket St., St. Louis, Mo. 

France Mfg. Co., 10325 Berea Rd., 
Cleveland, 0. 

General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. 
(Tungar) 

Hertner Electric & Mfg. Co., 1905 W. 
112th St., Cleveland, 0. 

Mohawk Electric Mfg. Co., 15 Kirk PI., 
Newark, N. J. 

St. Louis Electrical Wks., 4060 Forest 
Park Bvd„ St. Louis, Mo, 


Stahl Rectifier Co., 1401 W. Jackson 
Bvd., Chicago, Ill. 

United Electric Apparatus Co., 1529 
Columbus Ave., Boston, Mass. 

Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co.. East 
Pittsburgh, Pa. (Rectigon) 

Rheostats 

Allen-Bradley Co., 495-97 Clinton St., 
Milwaukee, Wis. 

Automatic Electrical Devices Co., 120 
Opera PL, Cincinnati, 0. 

Cutler Hammer Mfg. Co., 890 St. Paul 
Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. 

Electric Products Co., Cleveland, 0. 

General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. 

Industrial Controller Co., 386 Greenbush 
St., Milwaukee, Wis. 

National Electric Controller Co., 154-56 
Whiting St., Chicago, Ill. 

Schaefer Bros., 1059 W. 11th St., Chi¬ 
cago, Ill. 

Ward Leonard Electric Co., Mount 
Vernon, N. Y. 

Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., East 
Pittsburgh, Pa. 


162 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Sealing Compound 

Ferry-Mark Mfg. Co., 2117-23 S. 4th St., 
St. Louis, Mo. 

Mitchell Rand Mfg. Co., 99 John St., 
New York, N. Y. 

Sealing Compound Kettles 

Barnstead Still & Sterilizer Co., Lanes- 
ville Terrace, Forest Hills, Boston, 
Mass. 

Terminal Molds 

Associated Electric Service Stations, 
Chicago, Ill. 

Marvin Engineering Corp., Laurence, 67 
S. La Salle St., Chicago, Ill. 

Test Fork 

Shontz Co., H. B., 157 W. 54th St., New 
York, N. Y. 

Testers, High Rate Discharge 

Allen-Bradley Co., 286 Greenfield Ave., 
Milwaukee, Wis. 

Andrae, Julius & Sons Co., 358-64 Broad¬ 
way, Milwaukee, Wis. 

Burton-Rogers Co., 755 Boylston St., 
Boston, Mass. (Hoyt) 


Service Products Co., Springfield, 0. 

(Springfield) 

Service Station Supply Co., 1618 N. 

Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. (Hy-Rate) 
Shontz Co., H. B., 157 54th St., New 
York, N. Y, (Shuro) 

Testing Apparatus and Trouble Finders 

American Bureau of Engineering, Michi¬ 
gan Ave. & 16th St., Chicago, III. 
(Ambu and Cadmium test set) 
Niehoff, Paul G. & Co., Inc., 232-42 E. 

Ohio St., Chicago, Ill. 

Service Products Co., Springfield, O. 

(Springfield) 

Weston Electrical Instrument Co., 16 

Weston Ave., Newark, N. J. (Fault 
Finder) 

Water Stills 

Ballman-Whitten Mfg. Co., 4060 Forest 
Park Bvd., St. Louis, Mo. 

Barnestead Still & Sterilizer Co., 2 
Lanesville Terrace, Forest Hills, Bos¬ 
ton, Mass. 

General Scientific Equipment Co., Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa. 


MANUFACTURERS OF BATTERIES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT, ETC. 163 

Water Stills—(Continued) 


Globe Machine & Stamping Co., 1200-50 
W. 76th St., Cleveland, 0. 

Hauck Mfg. Co., 101-113 11th St., Brook¬ 
lyn, N. Y. 

Illinois Battery Steamer Co., 607 Spencer 
St., Peoria, Ill. 

Kline, Maurice, 3216 N. Newkirk St., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

Lalor Co., W. M., 431 S. Dearborn St., 
Chicago, Ill. 

Latimer Mfg. Co., Ludington, Mich. 

Lattner Mfg. Co., Cedar Rapids, la. 


Link, A. P. Co., 223 73rd St., Brooklyn, 
N. Y. 

Quaker City Scientific Equipment Co., 
14 Marlborough Rd., Millbourne, Pa. 

Sargent Steam Meter Co., 800-02 Sibley 
St., Chicago, Ill. 

Standard Water Systems Co., Hampton, 
N. J. 

Stokes Machine Co., F. J., 17th & Cam¬ 
bria Sts., Philadelphia, Pa. 

Universal Replacement Terminals 

Work-Rite Mfg. Co., Cleveland, O. 






A 


Acid, sulphuric ... 

Alkaline solution . 

Allen-Bradley charging panel 
Allen-Bradley discharge set.. 

Alternating current . 

—rectifying. 

Ammeter, range . 

—reverse reading . 

Ammonia solution . 


B 

Balancing electrolyte.. 

Battery, assembly .. 

—compartment, condition of, 

—removal, causes for.. 

—room plan ... 

—service station plan. 

—steamer ... 

Burning, lead . 

Business, keeping track of.... 


INDEX 


C 


76 Cadmium, readings, changes in.... 55 

25 —test . 51 

61 Capacity, loss of. 54 

48 Carbon disk discharge set, Allen- 

59 Bradley . 48 

66 Carbon lamps, current capacity. 69 

32 Carboys, acid . 76 

36 Cell tester, Hoyt. 31 

25 —Shuro . 28 

—Springfield . 30 

Charging bench.61,62, 63 

Charging circuit tests.29, 36 

69 Charging clips . 64 

90 Charging, in series. 58, 60 

25 —kind of current. 59 

38 Charging panel . 6 

117 —Allen-Bradley . 61 

119 Charging, prices for. 137 

85 Charging rates . 58 

79 —Columbia . 71 

136 —Exide . 73 


165 







































BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


166 

Charging Rates—(Continued) 


—Gould . 74 

—Luthy . 73 

—Prest-O-Lite . 73 

—U S L. 72 

—Vesta . 71 

—Witherbee . 75 

Charging switch, connections. 64 

Charging the battery. 56 

Chemical action and reaction. 10 

Chemically pure acid... 76 

Clips, charging . 64 

Columbia, charging rates . 71 

—peening press . 100 

—repairs . 94 

—storage of . HI 

Compound, glossing . 92 

—softening . 85 

Conditions of operation. 8 

Connectors, burning off. 85 

—drilling . 84 

—rebuilding runover . 92 

—removing . 84 

Corroded terminals, cause of. 17 

Cost of power for charging. 56 

Cover, removal of. 86* 


Current, alternating . 59 

—carrying capacity, lamp. 69 

—consumption, lamps. 34 

—direct . 59 

Cutout, automatic . 8 

—need for adjustment. 36 

D 

Developing the battery. 114 

Direct current . 59 

Discharge test, high rate. 42 

Distilling water . 76 

Double flange cover, to remove.... 98 
Dry storage . 110 

E 

Electricity for lead burning. 83 

Electrolyte, balancing .. 69 

—composition. 76 

—effect of temperature on....79, 91 

—for tropics . 70 

—freezing points. 79 

—height of. 26 

—level tester . 26 

—proportions . 79 

Equipment, battery repair .. 93 















































Eveready repairs. 95 

—storage of. Ill 

Exide, charging rates. 73 

—repairs . 96 

—special wrench . 97 

—storage of . Ill 

—treatment of when new. 113 

F 

Farm light plant, charging with.. 66 

Finishing rates . 59 

Flat rate system . 137 

Forms, repair order. 128 

Free service plan. 138 

Freezing points, electrolyte. 79 

Frequency, alternating current.... 59 

Freshening charge . 109 

Frozen battery . 19 

Fuses, inspection of. 34 

G 

Generator, voltage regulator. 7 

Glossary of terms. 143 

Good conditions, evidences. 21 

Gould, charging rates. 74 

—repairs . 99 

—storage of . 112 

—treatment of when new. 114 


Gravity (see specific gravity) 
Ground, test for . 


167 


29 

H 

High rate discharge test. 42 

Hoyt high rate cell tester.. 31 

Hydrometer, principle of. 77 

—spring type . 77 

—use of . 77 

I 

Inspection, periodic . 139 

Isolators, Vesta .102, 103 

J 

Jar, broken, removal of. 87 

—replacement of. 87 

—testing for leak. 88 

L 

Lamp bank.66, 67 

Lamp board for discharge.47, 48 

Lamp socket, test for trouble. 35 

Lamps, current consumption. 34 

—current carrying capacity. 69 

—dim on one side. 35 









































168 


BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


Layout, service station. 116 

Lead burning. 79 

—apparatus for . 81 

—with electricity . 83 

Lead peroxide (positive). 11 

Lighting circuit tests.29, 32 

Log book. 133 

Luthy, charging rates . 73 


M 

Maintenance hints, battery. 40 

Manufacturers of batteries, parts, 
equipment and* tools for repairing 

and testing. 149 

Mazda lamps, current capacity. 69 

Molds, for Willard posts. 105 

—post . 90 

Motor—generator, use of. 67 

Motor, starting . 8 


N 

New 'batteries, treatment of. 113 

O 

Operation, conditions of. 8 

Overcharging . 10 


Overdischarge ..... . . . . 12 

Overheating . 29 


P 


Peening press for Prest-O-Lite and 

Columbia . 100 

Periodic charge . 109 

Phases, alternating current. 59 

Plate burning rack. 89 

Plate capacity, test for. 43 

Plates, causes for rejection. 87 

—heating of . 86 

—inspection of. 86 

—pressing . 86 

—treatment on exposure to air... 110 

Points, specific gravity.27 

Polarity, ascertaining . 60 

Post dimensions, S. A. E. standard. 90 

Post molds . 90 

Prest-O-Lite, charging rates. 73 

—peening press . 100 

—repairs . 99 

Prices for battery service. 137 

Q 

Questions to locate trouble. 24 








































R 

Rack, plate burning. 89 

Rates, charging . 58 

Readings, cadmium test. 54 

Recharging, prices for. 137 

Recharging the battery. 56 

Rectifier, Tungar .66, 68 

Rectifying alternating current. 66 

Rental batteries, deposits on.137 

—getting back . 134 

—record form . 135 

Rental deposit slip. 130 

Repair order forms. 128 

Repairs, Columbia . 94 

—Eveready . 95 

—Exide . 96 

—Gould . 99 

—Prest-O-Lite . 99 

—U S L. 101 

—Vesta . 102 

—when justified . 107 

—Willard . 104 

—Witherbee . 105 

Reversed voltage in cell. 45 

Rheostat, losses in. 60 

—water . 


169 


S 

S. A. E. standard post dimensions.. 9Q 

Separators, correct assembly. 20 

—inspection for cracks. 91 

—removal of. 86 

—rotted . 14 

—storage of wood. 90 

Service station layout . 116 

Shop management .' 126 

Shop methods in general. 76 

Short circuits, internal. 14 

—main line . 32 

Shuro cell tester. 28 

Soda solution . 25 

Specific gravity, effect of tempera¬ 
ture on .79, 81 

—electrolyte . 11 

—indication of battery condition. 27 

—over 1,310 . 28 

, —theory . 77 

Spongy lead (negative). 11 

Springfield high rate discharge in¬ 
strument . 30 

Starting circuit tests.29, 39 

Starting motor, winding. 8 

Steamer, battery . 85 
















































BATTERY SERVICE MANUAL 


170 

Sulphate, formation, natural. 11 

—obnoxious . 12 

—reduction of . 12 

Sulphuric acid . 76 

Surface inspection . 25 

Syringe type hydrometer.... 77 

T 

Tables and information. 140 

Temperature, maximum . 21 

Thermometer, for gravity correc¬ 
tion . 79 

Time and materials basis of charges 137 

Transformer, lead burning. 83 

Trickle method of wet storage.109 

Tropics, electrolyte for. 70 

Trouble chart .Insert 

Troubles, diagnosis of ... 23 

Tungar rectifier.66, 68 

U 

U S L, charging rates. 72 

—dry storage of. 112 

—repairs . 101 

—treatment of when new,,,,,,, 114 


V 

Ventilation .. 125 

Vesta, charging rates.,. 71 

—plate isolators .102, 103 

—repairs . 102 

Voltage, charged and discharged... 11 

—generator . 38 

—reversed in cell. 45 

Voltage regulator, generator. 7 

Voltmeter, for cadmium test. 52 

—for tests . 29 

—range . 32 

—readings . 15 

W 

Ward-Leonard discharge set. 49 

Water, distilling . 76 

Water rheostat .. 46 

Wet storage . 108 

—trickle method . 109 

Willard, molds for posts. 105 

—repairs . 104 

—storage of . 112 

—treatment of when new. 114 

Winter storage, prices for. 137 

Witherbee, charging rates. 75 

—repairs . 105 

Wrench for Exide nuts,...... 97 












































J 



























































